Avengers: A Deal with the Devil
by IBegToDreamAndDiffer
Summary: … or with the Norse God of Mischief. Tony has a proposition for Loki. Loki would be lying if he said he wasn't intrigued. Dark!Tony, dark!Loki.
1. Chapter One

**AVENGERS**

**A DEAL WITH THE DEVIL**

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**Author's Note:**

**Pairing: **Tony Stark/Loki

**Warnings: **dark!Tony, dark!Loki, mild sexual content, graphic depictions of violence

**Note [10/02/14]: **Once a one-shot, now multi-chapter

**Disclaimer: **The world and characters of _The Avengers _belong to Marvel. I own nothing but the plot and make no money from this story.

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**Chapter One**

The penthouse was locked down tight, JARVIS with strict instructions not to let anyone in without first asking Tony. The genius had just gotten out of the shower and dressed in comfortable jeans and a t-shirt, his hair sticking up all over the place, still wet. He wandered into the living room and over to the bar, taking two tumblers from the counter and then grabbing a bottle of whiskey. He poured until the two glasses were full and then took a seat on one of the stools, sipping his drink and letting the flavour roll over his tongue.

He wasn't too sure that Loki would appear. Oh, the god had understood Tony's request; had smirked and narrowed his eyes at Tony before disappearing in a puff of green magic. But whether he actually _turned up _was another matter entirely.

Tony still wasn't sure if this was a good idea or not, but, well... all of his bad ideas had turned out okay in the past. Apart from his birthday party, _that _had been a disaster. He still wasn't completely okay with Rhodey stealing one of his Iron Man suits, but he could always steal it back if he wanted. He just... couldn't be bothered, at least not yet.

Tony had just taken another sip of whiskey when he felt the air change around him. There was never any real warning of Loki appearing, not if the god wanted to remain unseen. But the hairs on the back of Tony's neck stood on end, and a shiver passed down his spine. The animal part of his brain was registering _danger _and telling him to fight or hide.

Instead of doing either of those things, Tony raised the tumbler to his lips once more and took another drink. 'Thirsty?' he asked without turning.

There was a soft chuckle from behind him and Tony finally turned. Loki was standing in the middle of the room, hands clasped behind him, his head cocked slightly. His hair was slicked back as usual, although it was a bit curlier than Tony usually saw it. He was wearing tight leather pants, boots that ended beneath his knees, and a soft green... tunic, was the only word Tony could think of.

The god looked Tony over a few times before saying, 'It's about time you gave me that drink you promised.'

'Yeah, well,' Tony shrugged and slid the other tumbler across the bar as Loki approached, 'you were a bit tied up last time.'

'Indeed,' Loki hummed. He passed Tony and rounded the bar, stopping on the other side of it before the mortal. His long, thin fingers reached out and slid the glass over to himself. Loki wrapped his hand around the tumbler and picked it up, bringing the glass to his nose. He took a sniff, eyes still on Tony, before sipping.

'Well?' Tony said.

'Not bad,' Loki conceded. 'I will admit that you mortals have far better taste in alcohols than Asgard.'

'It's all mead up there, huh?' Tony said, remembering Thor's many, _many _stories that involved barrels of ale.

'Mm,' Loki hummed, taking another sip. 'Now,' he said when he'd set the tumbler back down. He leaned both forearms on the wooden counter, bright green eyes fixed on Tony's chocolate brown. 'Why am I here?'

''Cause I asked you,' Tony said. Loki's lips twitched, and Tony chuckled in response. 'Okay, so I sneakily requested that you come here to meet me alone. Same thing.'

'Mm,' Loki hummed again, clearly waiting for a proper response.

'I have a... proposition for you,' Tony said, eyes on Loki's.

Loki, of course, understood immediately. He stood straighter, though was still slightly hunched, and his eyes dropped to his glass as he ran a single finger around the rim. 'You want to make a _deal _with me?' he questioned, but didn't wait for a response. 'Tisk, tisk, Man of Iron. Heroes don't make deals with villains.'

'I'm not a hero,' Tony retorted, once more drawing Loki's attention.

'Oh?' the taller man questioned.

'I built the Iron Man suit to protect myself and destroy the people who hurt me,' Tony shrugged one shoulder. 'I fell into the hero business.'

'Poor Stark,' Loki smirked, 'are you tired of being a hero?'

'Again; not a hero,' Tony said.

'Your actions speak louder than your words,' Loki said. 'Isn't that a saying you mortals are fond of?' he added, bringing his drink up once more.

Tony just nodded and sipped his own, now half-empty, glass. He grabbed the bottle, which he'd left near his elbow, and splashed a liberal amount back into the tumbler. He held it up to Loki and the god nodded, so Tony topped up his glass as well.

'Would you be interested in a business transaction?' Tony questioned as he set the bottle aside.

'It depends on what that business transaction entails,' Loki replied. 'I don't make a habit of going into business with mortals, you all die far too easily.' He smirked over his glass, and Tony just raised an eyebrow. 'What if you die before your end of the bargain is upheld?' Loki questioned. 'It seems to me that I'd be putting a lot of investment into something that could crumble in my fingers.'

'So you _won't _go into business with me 'cause I might die?' Tony laughed. 'Well sorry to burst your bubble, Rudolph, but I have it on good authority that you Asgardians aren't exactly immortal.'

'No, they're not,' Loki agreed, 'but I'm _not _of Asgard. Frost Giants are much, much harder to kill, as I'm sure Thor has told you.' Tony didn't say anything, not wanting to start a fight about Thor. And talking about the blonde god was a sure way to get Loki riled up. 'None of your mortal weapons could ever harm me enough to bring about my downfall,' Loki continued, sliding his tumbler across the bar with his finger and thumb. 'And I think I proved that Asgard, who very much have the means to destroy me, can't keep me long enough to do so.'

Tony smiled at that. He remembered Thor reappearing a few months after the New York battle claiming that Loki had somehow managed to escape. Two weeks later and Loki was back, blowing up parts of Manhattan and laughing like a lunatic.

'Well,' Tony finally spoke, making Loki look at him. 'I can't exactly make myself immortal,' Tony said. 'If anything my life expectancy is _way _below the average.' Loki quirked an eyebrow, clearly confused. 'My heart's bad,' Tony said, tapping at the arc reactor beneath his chest. 'I was poisoned, suffered a fair few heart attacks, and have shrapnel lodged in my chest. All of that along with the strain of having an arc reactor embedded in my chest has cut my life expectancy. I'll be lucky to see fifty.'

Loki frowned at that, his eyes narrowed, suddenly darker than before. 'The average life of you mortal men is eighty years,' he spoke.

'Yeah, but mine's fifty,' Tony repeated. 'And that's if I don't have another heart attack or a stroke or anything else due to this thing,' he said, tapping the reactor again before taking a drink of his whiskey. 'That's not to mention all the injuries I sustain when in the suit, and all my drinking and drug taking in my younger years. I'll probably be dead in five or six years.'

Tony had come to terms with it long ago. He'd known, back when he started drinking heavily (and in his twenties when he'd tried every drug on the market) that he wouldn't live a long, full life. The arc reactor, and then the palladium poisoning, had just cut his own life expectancy in half.

'Five years,' Loki echoed, still frowning. He suddenly stood tall, looming over Tony, and Tony had to tilt his head back to look the god in the eye. 'Now that just won't do.'

'It won't?' Tony echoed, and Loki shook his head.

'No, not at all,' the Jötunn said. 'I don't go into business with mortals, especially mortals that will be dead in five years.'

'Okay then,' Tony sighed. Well, he hadn't exactly had high hopes for this meeting, but he'd had to try. 'I take it you can show yourself out?' he said and knocked back the rest of his drink before grabbing the bottle. He went to pour another drink for himself, but Loki's fingers were suddenly wrapped around his wrist, skin cool against Tony's own. 'Can I help you?' Tony questioned, glancing up at the god.

'No, but _I _can help you,' Loki said, his lips twitching in a smile.

'I thought you _couldn't_,' Tony said and gestured vaguely at himself with his free hand. 'Mortal, remember?'

'Ah,' Loki said and stroked Tony's wrist, feeling the human's pulse jump beneath his thumb, 'but what if you weren't?'

Tony frowned and looked down at their joined hands, at Loki's thumb still smoothing over his wrist. 'You have a way to make me... immortal?'

'As immortal as Thor and myself,' Loki said. 'You would still be able to die, it would just be much, _much _harder to do so. You'd also heal much faster, be stronger and swifter, and your heart would no longer be a problem, nor would the shrapnel embedded in your chest. Of course,' Loki suddenly drew back, dropping Tony's hand, and Tony ignored the shiver of _want _that passed through his body, 'I would recommend keeping the reactor in your chest,' Loki continued. 'It makes you immune to most forms of controlling magic.'

'Really?' Tony grinned. He'd known that, of course; he was immune to Loki's sceptre when even Thor would have fallen under its spell. But he hadn't known that he was immune to other forms of mind-control.

'Indeed,' Loki said. 'I find it very, very hard to look into your mind.'

Tony scowled and clutched at his head, as though he could physically stop Loki from digging into his brain. It made the god laugh; a soft, warm, chuckle that made Tony shiver again. Damn sexy magicians.

'Your mind is hazy, disorganised, and impossible to get a grip on,' Loki said. 'Not only is that just how it naturally is, but the arc reactor in your chest emits a type of energy that my magic simply cannot fight.'

'Well that's an awesome side-effect,' Tony decided, finally grabbing the bottle of whiskey. He topped up his glass and toasted Loki. 'To me building a magic-proof reactor!' He took a large swig, Loki watching in faint amusement. 'So,' Tony said after clearing his throat and lowering his glass, 'immortal, huh?' Loki just nodded. 'You'd make _me _immortal just for a business deal?'

'It depends on the business deal in question, and what I'm being offered in return,' Loki said, leaning on the bar once more. He sipped his drink before adding, 'I would have to be gifted with something of equal value to one of _Iðunn's_ apples.'

'How about my allegiance?' Tony shot back.

Loki's eyebrows climbed in surprise. 'You would bind yourself to me?'

'Only if you bind yourself to _me _in the same sense,' Tony replied. 'I'm assuming that magic contracts are a bit more binding than mortal ones.'

'Indeed,' Loki said. 'Whatever you promise cannot be denied for fear of pain and even death.'

'So if we promised not to kill each other, and then did so, what, I'd die?' Tony questioned.

'Yes,' Loki said. He smirked suddenly, one corner of his mouth rising. 'Still interested in a deal, Stark?'

'Only if you call me Tony,' Tony smiled back.

Loki chuckled. 'Anthony, then,' he conceded and took another drink of his whiskey. And, okay, Tony's full name had _never _sounded that sexy before. 'What exactly is it that you want?' he asked.

Tony finished off his own glass before pouring another, and then re-topping Loki's. He only sipped at this one, not wanting to get drunk in Loki's presence. He didn't doubt that they'd both haggle over the exact terms of their... binding.

'I want SHIELD near-destroyed, the Avengers too,' Tony said. Loki's eyebrows once again jumped in surprise. Whatever he'd been expecting, it clearly wasn't _that_.

'You wish to kill them all?' Loki questioned.

'Most of them,' Tony said, 'because really, where's the fun in being evil without some heroes to play with?' He smiled at Loki, then, and leaned forward a bit. 'You could kill us all _easily_, Lokes,' Tony said, making Loki smile slightly. 'You could break my neck right now, or stab me in the throat. Thor and the Hulk would be a little harder to take down, but _come on_; you can turn invisible, you'd be able to behead them easily.'

Tony let his eyes roam over Loki's face, resting on his lips for a bit. Loki licked them and Tony scowled, meeting Loki's eyes once more. The Trickster smirked at him.

'But you haven't,' Tony finally continued, 'you just play with us every other month. Which makes me think that you're off doing other things in other realms, and only fight us when you're bored.'

Loki chuckled and sipped his drink, the scent of whiskey reaching Tony's nose after Loki had lowered the glass. 'Well done, Anthony.'

Tony inclined his head in thanks. 'So,' he said, 'that's why I think it'd be best to _mostly _destroy SHIELD. Leave a few of them alive, like Fury, Coulson, even Agent Hill. After finding out that I'm the one who brought them down they would, of course, send the Avengers after me. And that'll be fun for a while. We can kill some of them, if you want, I really don't care. But I definitely want to completely destroy the World Security Council.'

'And just who are they?' Loki asked.

'They're in charge of SHIELD and a number of other secret government organisations,' Tony shrugged. 'They deal with alien invasions and super villains. They're the mastermind, while SHIELD's the footsoldier.'

'I see,' Loki hummed. He looked down, eyes on his glass as he swirled the amber liquid around. 'I'm curious as to why you want to destroy SHIELD all of a sudden,' Loki said, eyes shifting up to Tony. 'Why now?'

Tony smiled, but it was a dark, dangerous thing that had Loki more intrigued than any of the words they'd exchanged. He'd sensed the chaos in Anthony Stark when they'd first met, but he'd been too broken, too damaged, to properly explore it. Now Loki's mind was his own, his actions completely his once more. He had all the time in the world to pick Tony Stark apart.

Well, after he'd fed the mortal one of Iðunn's apples. It wouldn't do for Tony to die.

While Loki had been thinking, Tony had grabbed a file from the end of the bar. He slapped it onto the counter before the god and tapped the navy-coloured cover. 'This is SHIELD's file on me,' Tony said and slid it closer to Loki. 'Be my guest and have a look.'

Loki smiled and pushed his glass aside to grab the file. He flipped it open and found that the first page was just general information; Stark's date of birth, his achievements over the course of his life, as well as his address and known associates. Loki flicked through a few more pages, skimming over reports of Iron Man missions and sightings and Stark's near-death experiences. He paused briefly to read over the time when Tony had been poisoned by his own arc reactor, but was soon moving on again.

He finally stopped at a page that detailed a healer's (doctors, midgardians called them) impressions of Stark after looking the man over and reading other files on him. '"Anthony Stark is mentally unstable",' Loki read, eyes alight with mirth as they found Tony's.

'Like that wasn't obvious,' Tony snickered, sipping his drink.

'"His inability to work with others makes him a danger to this organisation and his team mates",' Loki read another paragraph. '"He suffers from a multitude of mental disorders, narcissism, depression, and bipolar II disorder being suspected but not confirmed"...' Loki trailed off, eyes skimming the report rapidly, finger tracing a few sentences. He finally reached the end, tracing the sentence just above this Doctor Arthur's signature. '"It is my professional opinion that any and all contracts with Tony Stark be terminated immediately. While Iron Man is an asset to the organisation, Stark is a danger and will bring about the deaths of himself, his team mates, and innocent agents at some point in the near future".'

When Loki finished he look up at Stark, who was smirking despite the words Loki had read out-loud. 'Keep going,' Tony said, nodding at the file. 'Read the hand-written notes on the next page.'

Loki did as asked, flicking the stapled pages over so that he could read the last. These notes had been handwritten and then photocopied and stapled to the file Loki had. Loki's bright eyes took in the words as he said them aloud; ' "Iron Man is needed, Stark isn't. It is recommended that SHIELD mount an operation to obtain the technology from Stark. Once SHIELD is able to manufacture its own suits, Stark will no longer be needed. SHIELD's a secret organisation and there's nothing Stark can legally do if we steal his technology"...' Loki's eyebrows climbed as he read the signature at the end. 'Signed by Agent Phil Coulson.'

'And addressed to the World Security Council via Director Fury,' Tony said. He set his drink aside, having had far too much already, and tapped at the file once again. 'Now do you see why I want to destroy SHIELD?'

'They betrayed you,' Loki said.

'So did the Avengers,' Tony said. 'I found this file while I was snooping in SHIELD's computers. I did some more research, and it turns out that Agents Romanov and Barton were sent here _not_ as a part of the Avengers, but as part of the operation to steal my technology. Captain America's part of the division trying to get me to outright quit.'

'What about Thor and the green one?' Loki questioned.

'Thor's just an Avenger and an ambassador for Asgard,' Tony said, 'he has no idea that SHIELD's trying to steal from me. Neither does Bruce- the Hulk. He's here so that SHIELD can keep an eye on him and use him.'

'Just like you,' Loki commented.

'Just like me,' Tony echoed in agreement.

They fell into silence as Loki looked over Stark's file once more, Tony busying himself with watching the god read. Finally Loki flipped the file shut and pushed it aside. 'I understand, now,' he said. 'You want revenge.'

'I want to destroy those who think that they can _steal _from me,' Tony growled.

A smile tugged at Loki's lips. Well, well, well... he _really_, really hadn't expected this when he'd come to Stark Tower. He'd been expecting a trap, maybe, or Anthony demanding to know how magic worked; it was no secret that Loki's talents enraged the mortal man. Loki really hadn't expected Stark to turn on his friends.

Then again... they weren't really friends, were they? Not if they were trying to steal from Stark. Not if they didn't trust him.

'What do I get out of this?' Loki asked suddenly, drawing Tony's attention. 'I help you destroy the World Security Council, as well as most of SHIELD and the Avengers. But what do _I_ get?'

'A chance to kill many, many mortals who would kill and torture you if they had the chance,' Tony said. 'You'll also have access to all the money, technology and equipment that I and Stark Industries can supply. Stealing is all well and good, but having a laboratory where you can work safely would be better, wouldn't it?' Tony grinned. Loki chuckled. 'You'll also have me on your side. I'm smart, I can work out almost any problem I set my mind to. We can bring magic and Midgardian technology together so that our enemies can never, _ever_ defeat us. We can also figure out a way to get Thor stuck in Asgard _permanently_...' Tony trailed off and grabbed his tumbler, swirling the liquid around. Loki just watched him. 'Think of what we could accomplish, Loki,' he said. 'You, a magician and Prince of Asgard. And me, a Prince of Midgard in my own way.'

Loki nodded. Yes, Tony was definitely a prince of his own realm. He had money and power, and the masses practically ate out of his hands. Almost every business and home in the world had Stark technology, and he was able to talk or buy his way out of any and all trouble he got himself into.

Loki stood suddenly and Tony watched as the god rounded the bar and approached him. Loki grabbed Tony's legs and pressed them together, and next thing the mortal knew he had a lap-full of Norse god.

'So,' Loki hummed as he draped his arms over Tony's shoulders, and Tony dropped his tumbler of whiskey on the bar, 'I make you immortal and we bind ourselves to each other, ensuring that we cannot betray the other. We help to bring down SHIELD and this World Security Council while playing with the Avengers. We work together to bring magic and technology together, and we keep each other safe from those who would do us harm. That means you keep me away from the public eye and all government organisations, and I keep you safe from any aliens who want to kill the Man of Iron who destroyed an entire Chitauri fleet.'

Tony blinked... okay, he'd had no idea that any aliens wanted to kill him for that, but whatever. With Loki on his side, he was pretty sure he'd be able to keep himself alive.

'Sounds about right,' Tony said and let his hands trail up Loki's back before going back down again. He squeezed Loki's hips before grabbing his ass, and Loki rolled himself forward, pressing against the bulge quickly hardening in Tony's jeans. 'I must admit I wasn't expecting this,' Tony said, referring to their current position.

Loki chuckled and leaned forward so that his breath blew across Tony's ear. 'You hoped, though,' he whispered.

Tony could only nod. Yeah, he'd definitely hoped, and dreamed. Fuck, had he _dreamed_. All the flirting Loki had done with him hadn't helped, either.

'So about that deal,' Tony muttered when Loki started pressed kisses to his ear, his jaw, across his beard.

'I'm sure that it will take quite a while to work out all the specifics,' Loki hummed, 'and I'm in no hurry to do so.'

'Yeah, me either,' Tony breathed when Loki's lips ghosted his own. He looked up at the god, who's eyes had turned dark. 'Paperwork can wait,' Tony agreed.

Loki smirked. 'Indeed,' he said. And then he crushed his lips against Tony's, the mortal groaning and arching up. Yeah, the paperwork could _definitely_ wait.


	2. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two**

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**Author's Note: **Ah, you people and your kind words; look at what you made me do! Well, my muse made me do it, really, so I'm kidding.

So, anywho, this will now be a multi-chapter story. I have no idea how many chapters there will be, and the updates probably won't be that regular. I'll aim to update as often as I am able and not leave you hanging. So I hope you enjoy :)

Also, please take note of the new warnings in chapter one; I've labelled this with "graphic depictions of violence" as a precaution. When Tony and Loki are involved, and the destruction of SHIELD, it's better to be safe than sorry.

{Dreamer}

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Tony smirked when he opened his eyes to find Loki- the God of Mischief and Lies- snuggled up to his side, bite marks still vaguely visible on his neck. Tony had bit _hard_, because Loki had kept shouting, "Break the skin, I don't care, just fuck me _harder_!" And, well... Tony had. So the marks were only just fading, and would probably be gone in half-an-hour.

Stretching languidly, and enjoying the way all his muscles ached in just the right places, Tony sat up. JARVIS immediately brightened the windows a bit and started relaying the usual facts; the weather, the whereabouts of the Avengers, Pepper's latest thoughts on how irresponsible/reckless/etc Tony was, as well as SHIELD's latest attempts to hack into Tony's computers.

Tony grinned when JARVIS informed him that SHIELD had successfully infiltrated the server that Tony had set up for them; it contained a few facts about some of his old weapons (which were all publicly available), a few bits of code on JARVIS and other security systems, and, of course, a few of Tony's older medical check-ups.

If Tony wanted to destroy SHIELD, he didn't want them to find out until it was too late; until he and Loki were completely ready to make them crumble. That meant feeding Fury and his merry band little titbits and false information; a few blueprints of his Iron Man gauntlets and boots, some information on the arc reactor technology and how it functioned the suit, and other odds and ends. Fury would be happy, thinking that he was slowly cracking Tony's systems, and Tony would laugh as he watched SHIELD play about like a child.

Tony stretched again before sliding out of bed, and Loki muttered behind him but didn't wake, just tugged the blankets closer, lips moving with soundless words.

Tony stared at him for a bit- because, _seriously, _the GOD OF MISCHIEF AND LIES (and Fire, he was sure he'd read that somewhere) was _in his bed _after a night of seriously energetic sex. Tony's life was awesome. He, Tony, was awesome. This was just another example.

Tony shorted and shook his head, getting rid of those thoughts as he went into the bathroom. It was all well and good to have an ego, but he couldn't let it get _too _out of control.

Humming to himself as he started the shower, Tony immediately washed his hair and then himself. The hot water did wonders for his still aching body, and Tony was feeling very, very relaxed by the time he'd washed all the soap off. He immediately tensed, though, when a tall, cool body pressed against him from behind.

'Surely you do not fear me,' Loki murmured right into his ear, making Tony shiver, 'especially after last night.'

'I'd be an idiot not to fear you at least a little,' Tony said.

Loki chuckled, and damn if that didn't make Tony hard in .3 seconds. 'You are far more intelligent than others I've come across, Stark.'

'I've always said that,' Tony shrugged. He turned slightly, just so that he could see Loki from the corner of his eye. 'I tensed for all the right reasons,' he told the god.

'Oh?' Loki hummed, one eyebrow going up. His hair was a deep dark black under the spray of the water, slicked to his skull and completely straight. Tony wanted to run his fingers through it. He wanted to grip it as Loki fucked him... okay, so, he definitely wanted more sex with Loki, no complaints in that department. 'You seem to have a problem,' Loki commented, and when Tony blinked back to himself he saw that Loki was staring down at his crotch; more importantly, at the erection now straining against Tony's stomach.

'Yeah...' Tony hummed, 'gonna help me with that?'

Loki smirked and spun Tony around before pressing him against the tiled wall, Tony hissing at the sudden cold against his back. And then Loki slid to his knees, and okay, _fucking hot_.

'Feel privileged, Stark,' Loki said as he ran his hands up Tony's thighs, 'I do not kneel for just anybody.'

'Oh, I'll return the favour quick enough and you know it,' Tony said. He couldn't hold back any longer; he reached out with one hand, pushing his fingers through Loki's wet hair. Loki hummed and tilted his head back until the water ran down his thin, pale face. 'Get on with it,' Tony then said, tugging at Loki's head. 'Those tiles are fucking uncomfortable.'

Loki tipped his head forward while one hand wrapped around the base of Tony's cock. Lips parted, Loki licked them slightly before giving Tony a full-toothed grin. Yeah, Tony shouldn't have found that as hot as he did, but all common sense took a back-seat when Loki wrapped those lips around his length.

{oOo}

Tony's knees hurt, but he otherwise felt awesome, so he was in a pretty good mood as he led Loki into the penthouse's kitchen. The Avengers were still out of the Tower, and Pepper was handling all meetings for the next week (Tony had turned up at his last one in his Iron Man suit, destroying three walls, two tables, and the floor, so... yeah, she was handling them for a while) meaning that Loki was free to wander around the Tower, and he and Tony were free to discuss their plans.

'So, taking down SHIELD,' Tony hummed as he poured himself a mug of coffee. He also poured one for Loki; he wasn't sure if the Asgardian had ever had coffee before, but he was in a good mood, and he _always _made coffee and/or breakfast for his one-night stands, so... well, Loki wasn't really a one-night stand; Tony saw a _lot _of sex in their future. Anyway, he made coffee for Loki, whatever.

Loki sniffed at the mug and took a sip, and Tony got to laugh at the scrunched face Loki made at the liquid's taste.

'This is vile,' he muttered.

'Some people add sugar or cream, sometimes both,' Tony told him. 'It makes it sweeter.'

'Hmm,' Loki murmured and took a seat at the kitchen counter. Tony sat opposite him, and the two stared at each other.

'So, SHIELD,' Tony said. 'How are we gonna do that? I have a few ideas, but...'

'I have something that could help us in regards to spying on SHIELD,' Loki said and suddenly he was engulfed in green light, magic crackling over his skin and clothing like an electric charge. The first thing to change was his hair; it grew thicker and longer, falling in waves past his shoulders. His entire face filled in, becoming softer and rounder, as did the rest of his body. His hips and chest suddenly formed curves, his clothing stretching around it, and he shrank until he was barely an inch taller than Tony. The last thing to change were his eyes; the brilliant emerald green flashed brightly before dulling, becoming a pale blue-grey.

When the light finally dimmed Tony blinked rapidly. Because instead of Loki, sitting before him was a very, _very _hot woman with curves in _all _the right places.

'Uh...' Tony gaped.

'Meet Lady Loki,' the woman- _Loki_- said with a smirk. It was the same smile; the same twitch of lips that made people hesitate when seeing Loki, afraid that the god would attack... which he would, so they were right to trust their animal instincts and run away. 'I'm usually taller,' Loki continued, voice still rich yet much softer, more feminine. 'And I usually leave my eyes the same colour. However, the chances of running into Thor either here or at SHIELD are high, and I'd rather not risk it. He's seen Lady Loki before...' He- she... whatever- frowned suddenly and tilted her head. Suddenly her hair flashed again, becoming blonde instead of black, and Loki twirled a strand around her fingers. 'Better,' she decided and went back to smirking at Tony.

'Okay,' the mortal hummed, 'this is a trick you didn't show me last night.'

Loki's smirk widened. 'I wanted to ensure that you would lay with me as a man, first. Too many of my past partners have insisted on me staying a woman after learning of this little skill.'

'We'll they were idiots,' Tony decided, making Loki blink at him. 'Seriously, you're gorgeous no matter what skin you wear,' Tony continued, shrugging one shoulder when Loki continued to stare. 'I'll fuck you in whatever form.'

'Hmm,' Loki hummed, her pink lips full and close to pouting. Tony swallowed thickly. _Damn_. 'Good,' Loki decided, 'because this form actually takes a fair amount of concentration and magic. I'd rather not be in it any longer than I have to be.'

'Fine by me, babe,' Tony shrugged again. 'So, you infiltrate SHIELD as Lady Loki and spy on Fury and the others?'

Loki nodded. 'While I can teleport in and spy whilst invisible, it would be best not to attract too much attention. They have readings of my magic, and while Thor isn't good at it himself, he's very good at detecting the energy I leave in a room. If we want to destroy SHIELD, we have to be careful.'

'Yeah, I get it,' Tony said. 'And having an inside man- er, woman- can only help. But,' and here he wagged a finger at Loki, making the Trickster snicker, 'you be careful, you hear? I don't want my partner going and getting himself captured or killed. I'm not in the mood to stage any rescue missions.'

'Oh, Stark, I didn't know you cared so much,' Loki practically purred, reaching across the table to stroke Tony's cheek.

Tony snorted. 'Back to Stark, am I?' he asked as he batted Loki's hand aside.

'You call me Rudolph, I call you Stark,' Loki shrugged. 'Fair is fair, yes?'

'Like you ever play fair,' Tony said.

'And you do?' Loki retorted.

'Touché,' Tony grinned, taking a sip of his coffee. 'So I suppose we should work out the terms of our contract?'

'Mm,' Loki nodded. He held his hand out and the tin of sugar appeared, as well as a spoon. Loki spooned a bit into his coffee, not speaking until he'd taken a sip and nodded in satisfaction, while Tony just stared a bit open-mouthed at the casual display of magic. 'We can work out the exact details of our deal, but I'd rather hold off on signing anything until you've consumed one of the Golden Apples.'

'Golden Apple?' Tony questioned, shaking off his thoughts.

'Mm,' Loki hummed again. 'Like I said; I don't make deals with mortals.'

'Yeah,' Tony murmured. 'So how exactly are you going to _get _one of these apples?'

'Theft, of course,' Loki said, smirking when Tony laughed. 'Iðunn keeps a close eye on her apples, but there are plenty to be found throughout Asgard. All I have to do is cloak myself, sneak in, and steal a few. It would help to have them on hand in case of injury; one bite can restore some of the gravest injuries.'

'How many do I have to eat to become like you and Thor?' Tony asked over his mug.

'Just one,' Loki said. 'They must be consumed every one hundred years. If an apple isn't eaten in that rough time-frame, you begin to age like a mortal again, and your strength and speed fail.'

'Maybe I can study them,' Tony mused, wondering if he could grow his own Golden Apples. There had to be a chemical explanation as to why the apples gave people unlimited life, strength, and speed. It was like magic; Tony was sure that magic was just another form of energy, one that humans were currently unable to detect and harness. But given enough time, Tony _would_, especially if he was now looking forward to a few thousand years of life instead of six or seven short ones.

'I love your mind,' Loki's voice broke into Tony's thoughts, making the genius blink. 'It's fascinating watching you work your way through a thought,' Loki added.

'You're not bad yourself, Reindeer Games,' Tony smiled. 'I find you particularly hot when you mutter spells under your breath.'

'Those are the more complicated ones,' Loki said. 'Most magic can be harnessed without the use of words. Others, however, require the use of mind and voice.'

'I'll figure it out,' Tony shrugged.

'I can teach you,' Loki offered.

Tony blinked. 'Seriously?'

The god nodded. 'As long as you teach me your Midgardian sciences, of course. With the added benefits of the Golden Apples, you should find it easier to tap into the magic all around you.'

'And with me explaining things, you'll pick up our tech in no time,' Tony grinned.

Loki chuckled and finished off his coffee before brandishing the mug at Tony. 'I want another.'

'Why yes, princess, I'd _love _to get you one,' Tony muttered sarcastically, even as he grabbed the mug. 'Anything else I can get you? Full English breakfast, maybe?'

'It depends on what a Full English Breakfast entails,' Loki replied.

Tony snorted. 'No idea, I've just heard the saying before. I can do eggs and bacon or an omelette.'

'As can I,' Loki said and stood.

'You know how to cook?' Tony questioned, back to Loki as he refilled both their mugs with coffee.

'Of course I do,' Loki snorted. 'Just because I was raised a prince doesn't mean that I'm unable to fend for myself.'

'That's good to know,' Tony said, 'because most of the time I order in. I can make a few things, though most of those are microwavable meals or frozen pizza.'

'I can cook a number of things,' Loki said. 'As long as you keep me satisfied in the bedroom- or any flat surface I choose- then I have no problem cooking.'

Tony almost dropped the mugs at the sudden onslaught of images those words brought on. Oh, wow, he could totally fuck Loki on the kitchen table in the communal kitchen. He imaged doing just that, the two completely naked, and then having dinner there with the Avengers, Natasha and Clint having no idea that the table they were leaning on had once held a naked Norse deity.

Tony snickered to himself, and then shivered when Loki's breath suddenly ghosted over his ear. 'You're thinking naughty thoughts,' Loki murmured. 'Do share.'

Tony shivered again but managed to say, 'Later. We have plans to make; a contract to write, remember?'

'You're no fun,' Loki pouted but move away. 'Would you like help cooking?' the god offered.

'Wow, you offering to do something _nice_?' Tony said. 'The world is ending!'

'Just be thankful,' Loki huffed. 'And you will not be able to gauge the world's end based on my mood; God of Lies, remember?'

Tony grinned and turned to peck him on the cheek; it was weird, he never did that, and Loki seemed surprised, too, but whatever. They were once enemies- still were, until the contract was signed- but they were forging a new relationship, one that put them ahead of everyone else. So Tony was doing things he'd never done before.

He didn't care. He was finally going to fuck over SHIELD like they'd been trying to do to him. Loki seemed to catch onto Tony's odd attitude, because he smiled; a soft, gentle thing that looked a bit out of place on the god's face, but no less... nice. He just gave Tony a gentle kiss before moving to the fridge, hunting for breakfast products. Tony smiled and got back to pulling pans out of the cupboards.

{oOo}

Tony ended up doing all the cooking. If there was one thing he could cook- besides pasta and frozen pizza- it was breakfast. A skill he'd picked up from taking care of some of his one-nighters. He didn't _always _have Pepper throw them out.

Anyway, Loki wanted the contract drawn up and signed as soon as possible, which meant gifting Tony with the same quasi-immortality that he and Thor shared. And that, of course, meant stealing apples. Oh, Tony loved it. Stealing was always fun.

So Loki gave Tony a quick kiss before he disappeared- using some of the hidden paths in the Yggdrasil, he said, which Tony didn't fucking understand. He just shrugged, figuring that Loki could explain it all in detail later, and got back to cooking. Loki had said that he would take no more than half-an-hour, maybe slightly longer, which gave Tony time to make them both breakfast; a large breakfast, because apparently Thor's appetite was the norm on Asgard, and Tony would have it too once he ate a Golden Apple.

He'd just finished plating up two very large meals- eggs, bacon, toast, fried tomato, fried ham, mushrooms, and fruit- when Loki reappeared. He swayed a bit but managed to catch himself, and Tony's eyes quickly took him in and found no outward signs of injury.

'Went well?' he questioned.

'Yes,' Loki said. 'It is just difficult, travelling on such beaten paths. I will explain the differences between travelling the way I do and travelling through the Bifröst later.'

''Kay,' was all Tony said.

Loki shook his head- maybe getting his magic into place, or just shaking off a thought, Tony had no fucking idea- before he pulled a small, leather bag from his trouser pockets... which, okay, _where the fuck had that thing fit? _But whatever. Tony wasn't about to question magic. He then pulled the ties open and reached inside before producing an apple.

It was... well, gold, which Tony had expected. A single, gold-brown leaf was still attached to the golden steam, and the skin was a complete, solid gold, like Tony's Iron Man faceplate, only brighter. Loki just held the apple out, and Tony didn't hesitate; he crossed the distance between them and plucked it from Loki's hand.

It was heavy- heavier than an apple should be- and shined with some sort of light. Tony's mind once again exploded; he _had _to be able to recreate this somehow. Soil samples from this "garden" where they grew, samples of the actual apple, any information Loki could provide... if Tony could artificially create his own Golden Apples, he and Loki would never have to return to Asgard for them. Magic had to be involved somehow, but Loki had already said that Midgard was practically dripping with it; humans just had no idea how to detect the energy, let alone _harness _it. Human evolution just hadn't reached that point yet.

Oh, but Tony, Tony Stark was different. He was a genius, even by Asgardian standards, and he was about to be a _god_. He'd fucking do it; he had the years.

'Well?' Loki's voice broke Tony from his thoughts, and the mortal- ha, not for long- looked up at him.

'Yeah, right,' Tony nodded. He took a deep breath, said a silent "SEEYA!" to his mortality, and took a bite.

He trusted Loki at least this far. Loki wanted this deal; he wouldn't kill Tony with a poisoned apple. It just wasn't his thing. Loki would rather snap Stark's neck than poison him. So Tony chewed, letting the brilliant, refreshing taste of _the _best apple he'd ever consumed roll over his tongue and then down his throat. Damn, that was a tasty fucking apple. If he could somehow just get the _taste _and artificially recreate _that_, he'd make billions to add to his already substantial wealth. Kids would eat apples for breakfast, lunch and dinner if they all tasted like this.

'Eat it all; stem, leaf, and core included,' Loki ordered.

Tony just nodded; easiest order he'd ever been given. Loki watched, curious, as Tony ate the entire apple, even going so far as to lick his fingers when he was done. Fucking awesome summer-tasting apple.

'I don't feel different,' Tony said as soon as he'd finished.

Loki rolled his eyes.

And then punched Tony. In the arm. _Hard_.

'Ow, you motherfucker!' Tony snarled, gripping his arm. 'What was that for?'

'That was me at my full strength,' Loki told him. 'If you were still mortal, your arm would have snapped clean in half.'

Tony blinked. Rubbed his arm. Okay, _awesome_.

'So... just like that?' he questioned. 'I'm a god?'

'Indeed,' Loki smirked. He sat on one of the barstools and pulled one of the large breakfast plates towards himself. 'Now eat. You will need it. Your body has adjusted to much in a very, very short period, and though you don't feel it now, you need to eat and rest.'

Tony just nodded. He trusted Loki on this; he was over a thousand years old (at least Tony assumed he was), he knew what he was talking about.


	3. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three**

'So, there are probably a few things we should discuss before either of us sign anything,' Tony said a few minutes later. Loki hadn't been kidding; Tony's appetite had suddenly expanded, and everything on his plate looked delicious, his stomach apparently having no end. At least, he hadn't found it yet, and he'd already eaten half a loaf of bread. 'Like the invasion, for example,' Tony said.

Loki raised an eyebrow as he pierced a piece of bacon with his fork- and Tony had no idea how he did that, because bacon was a bitch to eat with utensils. 'If you're looking for an apology, you won't get one,' the god said. 'Well, not one that's completely sincere, anyway,' he corrected. 'I do regret destroying your city. The more time I spend here, the more I realise that not all you Midgardians are worthless beasts.'

'That's good to know,' Tony snorted. He had no illusions; he knew that Loki wasn't a good guy. Then again, neither was Tony. But Loki was a god; their moral codes, however small, were vastly different.

'I wasn't controlled, at least not like your little Hawk was,' Loki continued. 'The Other- the one in command of the Chitauri fleet- had a certain hold on me, I will admit. But those actions were my own. Desperate as they were, I led the army here of my own will.'

'Was it completely your will, though?' Tony asked. ''Cause your invasion was kind of half-assed at best.'

Loki smirked. 'I didn't want to rule Midgard, if you were concerned about that. I never have. Just like I never wanted to rule Asgard. There are too many rules, too many people you must listen to, when you rule as a King or Emperor. I much prefer to be in the shadows, pulling the strings, working my... magic, you could say, from the background. Being a King means listening to the problems of the common folk, something I care little about. At best I hoped to be Thor's right-hand, the voice of reason and intelligence when he needed help. I never wanted to sit on the throne- any throne- myself.'

'Good to know,' Tony commented. 'So you weren't mind controlled, but this... Other, had a certain kind of power over you.'

'He was always watching,' Loki nodded. 'He created a link similar to what the sceptre had over Barton and the others. He couldn't control my every thought and movement, because a puppet would not make a good commander. He needed me to be able to think for myself. I needed to be able to adapt to any type of situation. The Other was just there, lurking in the background, making sure that I did what he wanted. The green beast knocked that hold free when he used me to redecorate your living room.'

'Which was awesome and I'll never say otherwise,' Tony interrupted. ''Cause seriously, seeing the bastard who threw me through a window _in my floor _was just really fucking cool.'

'And I would think the same if it were an enemy of mine,' Loki agreed. 'I threw you through a window, as you said, I cannot fault you for taking pleasure in my pain.'

'Well, not in your pain,' Tony corrected, 'just... in seeing you in the floor.'

Loki smirked and slid a piece of bacon into his mouth, chewing slowly and swallowing before continuing. 'When the Other found me, I was not in any state to deny his requests, or that of the Mad Titan's.'

'Mad Titan?'

'The one who truly wanted the Tesseract,' Loki said. 'Midgard was, unfortunately, just the planet holding it at the time. The Mad Titan cares little for this planet. It is a gateway to Asgard and the other Nine Realms.'

'And now that it's not here?' Tony questioned.

'I'm not sure,' Loki admitted. 'He could very well come here to kill the heroes who defeated his army. That would take time, though. Without the Tesseract he has no way to move his fleet to this planet quickly. And Asgard will always defend Midgard, because Midgard is the gateway to Asgard.'

'So we get protected because Asgard wants to protect itself,' Tony summarised.

Loki nodded. 'Basically, yes. It's why Thor is your planet's protector. Protect Midgard and you protect the Nine Realms.'

'Cool,' Tony said. 'So we mortals are basically caught between two bigger powers, really.'

'Mm,' Loki hummed with a slight nod. 'But remember, you are no longer mortal.'

Tony smirked. Oh, yeah... _awesome._

'We'll deal with that if it happens,' Tony decided, brushing the subject aside. 'You don't wanna rule Earth anymore, that's all I care about.'

'You rule it already,' Loki commented, mirth dancing in his green eyes. 'With your technology, your wealth, and your status. I have researched you since we fought. You can make an entire room kneel with a few simple words.'

Tony grinned at that, remembering the press conference after returning from Afghanistan. He'd asked the room to sit and they had, no questions asked. Maybe Loki would have faired better if he'd just been sweet and charming instead of all insane and murderous. Then again, if Loki had really _wanted _Earth, he would have succeeded, no matter what SHIELD threw his way.

'So,' Tony cleared his throat and stood. Loki watched curiously as the newly-turned god hunted around for a piece of paper and a pen, which was actually harder to come by than it should have been. Steve and Bruce both liked using pens and paper, whereas Tony preferred StarkPads and other technology. 'So,' he repeated when he re-took his seat opposite Loki, 'we should write down exactly what we want from this deal. I'm assuming that you'll make the contract binding once we sign it?'

'Enchanted paper signed in blood,' Loki told him. Tony just nodded; yeah, magic was weird, moving on.

'Okay then,' Tony nodded. 'Rule one, of course, is that we can't betray or kill the other.'

'We will need to word that carefully,' Loki said. 'Because there may come a time where we have to appear as though we've betrayed the other to escape a hostile environment.'

'Like if SHIELD captures me and I pretend to turn on you to have a better chance of escaping,' Tony said, and Loki nodded. 'Yeah, we can word that in somehow. Some type of clause that lets us pretend to betray the other without really meaning it.'

'We will also have to decide on whether or not that stipulation extends past our agreement to destroy SHIELD and the World Security Council,' Loki said. Tony looked up at him. 'Do we want to continue to work together with the safety of no betrayals after our current enemies have been vanquished?' Loki asked. 'Or will we revert back to being enemies once SHIELD is taken care of?'

'I'd rather stay partners, in all honesty,' Tony said. 'I'm assuming that you have just as many, if not more, enemies as I do. There are business rivals out there that I'd like to take down a peg or two, that's not to mention whatever other insane individuals will step forward after SHIELD's destroyed. Having you on my side, someone I can actually trust, would be a great benefit.'

'And you would be willing to help me with my enemies?' Loki questioned. 'I have many, and most of them come from other Realms.'

'I'm confident when it comes to my suit and my intelligence,' Tony shrugged. 'And now I'm physically stronger and will live longer, so... I'll need some enemies to fight over the next few hundreds years.'

Loki chuckled and pressed his fingers against the paper Tony was doodling on. He easily slid it from beneath the inventor's hands and towards himself. 'May I?' he asked, gesturing to the pen. Tony handed it over and Loki hummed as he looked down at the sheet. 'Let's see what we can do...' he murmured and started jotting down his own ideas.

{oOo}

It took _hours_, of course. Tony and Loki were both suspicious bastards, and still didn't trust each other, at least not until the contract was signed. The argued over every point, over every _sub_-point, and were constantly trying to re-word everything so that they got the better deal.

It was all moot in the end, though, because later that night when they were finally done- and Tony's back was seriously starting to ache from sitting in the same position for so long- the contract was something that they both felt comfortable with. Every agreement was equal and fair for both of them, because Tony and Loki had both fought tooth and nail for it to be so. Even with the inclusion of the Golden Apple, they were still equal partners.

'Finally,' Tony groaned when he finished reading over the final contract. Loki had summed a piece of parchment from wherever the fuck he kept that shit, and had muttered a spell over it to make it binding. He'd then written everything out with a quill- in English, so that Tony could understand it- and given it to the human to read over.

'Now we just have to sign,' Loki said and drew a dagger from his boot. And, okay, _where the fuck had that come from?_

'You gotta show me how you hide weapons like that,' Tony commented.

Loki smirked. 'I will make you a few daggers. They are always handy, and easily concealable.'

'Awesome,' was all Tony said.

'There is something I need to do, before I sign this,' Loki said, making Tony arch an eyebrow.

'Go on,' he murmured.

'As I'm sure you are aware, I am not Æsir by birth,' Loki said.

Tony frowned. 'What?'

Loki mirrored the expression. 'You know that I am adopted.'

'Well, yeah,' Tony nodded, 'but... wait, you're not the same species as Thor?'

'No,' Loki said, seeming surprised that Tony didn't know that. 'I am Jötunn; a Frost Giant.'

Tony blinked. Loki stared. 'I have no fucking idea what that is,' Tony admitted. Sure, he'd dabbled a bit in Norse Mythology since Loki had dropped out of the Tesseract, but he had, like, a _thousand _things to do, and reading up on Loki's life hadn't been at the top of his list.

Loki looked... like he had no idea what to say to that. His frown deepened a bit before he shook his head. 'I will have to discuss this with you further at some point, because as my partner you should know this about me.' He didn't seem pleased about it, but whatever. 'My point is that I am not Æsir; the form you currently see is not what I actually look like.'

'Oh, okay,' Tony said. 'So, what, you have actual horns or something? Scales? A tail?'

Loki huffed, looking torn between amusement and anger. Tony wasn't sure what to make of that.

'No,' the god shook his head. 'Just blue skin and red eyes. My body temperature is much, much lower than that of a mortal or an Ás.'

'Okay...' Tony hummed. He was intrigued, really, because a blue space alien? Awesome, plain and simple. But Loki... well, he didn't look _happy _about sharing this information with Tony. In fact, he didn't look happy about the whole Jötunn thing at all... there was a story there, Tony knew, and he wondered if Loki would share that at some point in the future.

'My point is that my magic differs when I'm in my Jötunn form,' Loki continued. 'Certain things bleed over; my body temperature is always much lower, I am able to manipulate and create ice, and I have a higher tolerance for the cold. But when in my Jötunn form, some things are easier.'

'Because it's your true form,' Tony interrupted. Loki hesitated before nodding. 'So can you use your magic easier when in that form?' he asked.

'I am unsure, as I don't like to be in that form for too long,' Loki admitted.

'Well that's just stupid,' Tony stated, making Loki scowl. 'No, seriously,' Tony said, sitting up and leaning further over the counter. 'You hate your Jötunn form, I can see that. But it's an asset. You being blue and throwing ice? Not something that SHIELD will expect. Or Thor, either, if he knows how much you hate it. You should use it to your advantage.'

Loki just blinked at him, looking slightly stunned. Clearly he'd never thought of that before.

'I'm just saying,' Tony shrugged. 'If you don't wanna be in that form, then by all means never change; it's not up to me. But if it gives you an advantage, well...' he trailed off and stood, going to get more coffee. When he got back Loki had composed himself, and he continued his first topic, clearly needing to digest what Tony had said.

'I need to be in my birth form for this contract to bind us properly,' Loki said. 'The Æsir form I wear is mostly a glamour; a spell that the All-Father, and then I, used to mask what I truly am. But it still changes things, like my magic and certain... features about my body. In my Jötunn form, you will be bound to who I truly am. It will bind us more tightly together and more deeply.'

'Whatever you think is best, Dancer,' Tony shrugged. 'You're the magic expert here.'

'Dancer?' Loki said, eyebrow raised, clearly not amused.

'You're just jealous that you have no nicknames for me,' Tony grinned cheekily. Loki rolled his eyes. 'So, let's get this thing signed,' Tony decided to move on. 'I'll feel a lot better about this entire situation if we can't suddenly stab each other in the back.'

Loki nodded and closed his eyes. It took a lot of concentration for him to melt into his Frost Giant form; despite how much he despised it, he'd been practising since he escaped Asgard. Like Stark had said, it was an asset, and Loki would be a fool not to use every trick he had. A few minutes passed and nothing happened, at least not to Stark's eyes. Loki felt his magic flicker and seep into his bones more thoroughly than usual. He felt the ice cold tendrils of his Jötunn magic- the part of him that so easily manipulated ice- creep up on him, making his skin feel cooler.

Stark gasping was the first hint that Loki's true form was taking hold. The second was the cool shiver that swept over Loki's skin. When the god opened his eyes it was to find his hands and arms blue, frost beginning to spider across the counter-top from his fingers. Loki quickly reined in that magic, forcing it deep beneath his skin. He looked up at Stark, who's eyes widened when he saw the true colour of Loki's own.

'Wow,' Tony hummed. 'Okay, so you really, _really _look like a different race. The Æsir look exactly like us humans, but _damn_...'

'Yes, it is hard to hide what I truly am when in this form,' Loki agreed, going for the dagger he'd left sitting beside his and Stark's contract.

'Do the raised lines mean anything?' Tony asked. 'Or are they like fingerprints?'

'I have no idea,' Loki admitted. 'All Frost Giants have them.'

'Should look into that,' Tony mused, eyes roaming over Loki's face. Loki paused, his own eyes on Stark's. The human didn't seem terrified or disgusted or... anything that Loki was expecting. He just looked fascinated, like he wanted to touch, to study, to find out just how different Loki was. But Stark, he... he was unbiased, Loki realised. He hadn't grown up with stories of Frost Giants coming into his room and eating his flesh. He just saw Loki as a different creature, a different race; one different to his own, but not inherently evil.

Loki chuckled humourlessly to himself. He wondered if he would be more accepting of his own skin if he hadn't grown up with tales of bloodthirsty monsters. Just another way that the All-Father had failed him. Loki was a monster. But the All-Father had made him that way.

Loki shook his head, not wanting to dwell in this skin for too long. He would explain about the Frost Giants- and about his coming to be a Prince of Asgard- at a later date. For now he just wanted to get Stark firmly on his side. If they could not betray each other, then Loki had nothing to fear from Stark knowing everything. Only disgust.

Stark jolted when Loki cut his palm, but quickly calmed when Loki dipped the quill into his blood and signed the contract. He then sealed his skin with a quick burst of magic; Loki was by no means a skilled healer, but he knew enough to heal small wounds and broken bones. And, of course, he could heal himself quite easily.

'Your turn,' Loki said and handed the dagger across to Stark.

'Your skin's awesomely cold,' Tony commented when their fingers brushed.

'_Frost _Giant,' Loki reminded him.

'Yeah, yeah,' the human chuckled. He sliced his own palm, not even wincing at the gash he caused, and dipped the quill into his own blood. When he'd signed his full name- as Loki had instructed- Loki slid the parchment towards himself and held a hand over it. All it took was a few muttered words to bind the two together, the words written out now a baseline for their relationship. Stark gasped as the magic washed over him, and shook his head roughly, swaying on his stool. 'Yeah, wow, magic.'

'Mm, I should have warned you,' Loki murmured. 'Now shut up, I need to concentrate.'

Stark poked his tongue out- Loki saw it before he closed his eyes- but the god ignored him as he concentrated on sinking back into his Æsir form. It took longer than before- because despite what Sif and the Warriors Three thought, magic was anything but a _trick_- and Loki felt slightly drained when he settled into his familiar skin. He could easily fight off an attack, but he wouldn't be using his magic for unnecessary things.

'You need anything?' Tony asked.

'Hmm?' Loki hummed, his eyes- green once more- shifting to the genius.

'You look a bit tired,' Tony said, prodding at his injured hand. 'Magic takes it out of you, huh?'

'Magic is but a muscle, Stark; another extension of my person,' Loki said. 'Throwing a punch takes energy, as does throwing a spell.'

'Magic's another form of energy, one that you use your body to control,' Stark nodded. 'So it makes sense that it'd take just as much effort to wield as something like hand-to-hand fighting would.'

And with those few words, Stark showed that he understood more than Thor and his friends ever had. Stark, a mere mortal (former, really) from a tiny blue planet, only forty-five years of age, understood more about _Loki _than the people who had known him for 1047 years. It was equal parts disturbing and exhilarating. Finally, Loki had found someone who could at least understand certain parts of him, and Stark had only known him for mere weeks, really.

Oh, he would definitely never regret stealing an apple for Stark. A mortal lifetime was not enough for this brilliant, mad creature.

Stark was still touching his wound. It had stopped bleeding, but had yet to close up; clearly Stark's faster healing factor was already in effect.

Loki rolled his eyes and reached over, grabbing Stark's hand and making the human yelp. He then smiled when Loki healed his wound, the god only using a very small amount of magic to do so.

'Thanks,' Stark said.

'You're welcome,' was Loki's simple reply.

Tony grinned at him before jumping to his feet. 'So, I'm starving. We've been sitting here all day- literally _all _day- and I need, like, five containers of something delicious. You like Chinese, right?'

'I have no idea what it is,' Loki admitted.

'Rice, vegetables, and meat in sauce,' Tony said.

'Ah,' Loki hummed. 'I would prefer all vegetables, then. Meat slows my magic. It is easier to replenish when the meat of animals isn't in my system.'

Tony looked absolutely _fascinated _by that, his fingers twitching, like he was fighting not to throw Loki down and examine every inch of him.

'I can explain that over dinner,' Loki said, and a bright, slightly-mad grin lit up Stark's face.

'Oh, yes, you will,' he nodded. 'Vegetarian it is. So I share Thor's appetite now, huh?'

'It is a result of our semi-immortality,' Loki said. 'We burn energy much faster than mortals, thus we need more sustenance.'

'Right-o,' Stark said. 'Vegetarian, okay. You go make yourself comfortable in the living room, I'll order, and we'll watch a movie or something.'

'Very well,' Loki agreed easily, standing slowly and turning.

'And magic talks!' Tony called. 'Don't forget that!'

'As long as you teach me your Midgardian sciences, than I have no problem imparting some of my knowledge,' Loki retorted.

'Oh, yeah,' he heard Stark's glee-filled voice. 'This is gonna be _awesome_.'

Loki chuckled as he walked into the living room. Really, SHIELD had no hope, not with him and Stark working together. Loki let a smirk take over his face. This would be _so _much fun.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Just in case I didn't make it clear; basically, part of the contract stipulates that Tony and Loki cannot physically harm or betray each other. Tony can't just take a knife and stab Loki or vice-versa, because the magic binding them will kill them if they do so. So Tony could stab Loki, but then he'd die for breaking the contract. Also, they can't sell each other out, at least not really; they can lie and pretend they're betraying each other, like... Tony telling SHIELD where Loki is and what his plans are, but if he really did it the contract would, of course, take it back from him; an eye for an eye and all that.

Cheers,

{Dreamer}


	4. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four**

'Okay, so I think I've figured out how to get you into SHIELD,' Tony said as he sat beside Loki. They were currently occupying the large leather lounge in Tony's living room, boxes of Chinese food spread out on the coffee table before them. Loki was picking through a box of vegetables and rice covered in some type of curry sauce, his fingers easily wrapping around a pair of chopsticks. He just waved a hand at Tony as he popped a vegetable into his mouth, telling him to continue. 'So, you can be my assistant when you're a woman,' Tony said.

'Assistant?' Loki echoed.

Tony nodded as he grabbed a box of food, popping the top open. 'I've had assistants in the past; all hot women. And you're hot as a woman, so it won't be surprising. Only, you have to act like you dislike me, that way SHIELD will try and get you to spy on me.'

'Oh?' Loki hummed, looking amused.

Tony grinned. 'I might have had the habit of... sleeping with my assistants.'

'Is that so,' the god chuckled, eating a bite of rice.

'Yeah,' Tony said. 'That was how Pepper found out that I'm not straight.'

'Pepper...'

'The CEO of my company,' Tony said. 'Pepper Potts.'

'Ah,' Loki nodded. 'Is she the woman always speaking for you during press conferences?' When Tony raised his eyebrows, Loki said, 'I made sure to research each of the Avengers in detail when I returned to Midgard. Know thy enemy.'

'Right,' Tony said, 'makes sense.'

'Mm,' Loki just hummed, scraping the bottom of his box with his chopsticks. He soon tossed it aside and reached for another, wrinkling his nose when he found it full of pork.

'So is the vegetarianism just 'cause you want to conserve your magic, or is it an all-time thing?' Tony asked.

Loki finally found another box of vegetables and rice, popping it open. 'I prefer greens over meat,' Loki said, 'but on occasion I don't mind. Like this morning; I ate pig, did I not?'

'Oh, yeah,' Tony nodded. 'Anyway, as my assistant you gotta make it clear that you have no wish to have sex with me. If you look like you just like the job, rather than me, SHIELD might just try and rope you into spying on me.'

'By offering money, I assume,' Loki said.

'Exactly,' Tony nodded. 'So if I set something up, maybe a back-story that shows you having money problems, SHIELD might just take the bait.'

'I see,' Loki said. 'And I assume you'll give me an apartment?'

'Yeah,' Tony mumbled around a mouthful of... chicken, he was sure it was chicken. 'You already have a place?'

'I can easily just disappear,' Loki shrugged, seeming unconcerned.

'Awesome,' Tony murmured, swallowing his food. 'So, I was thinking that we can have another alias for you; one that would mean you being able to hang around the Tower all the time in a different disguise. Can you change your appearance without being a woman?'

Instead of answering, Loki once again went blurry, green magic washing over him. When Tony could see him again, Loki's hair was short and curly, a dark blonde, and his eyes were light blue. His skin was darker, a nice tan instead of his usual pale complexion, and there was a fine dusting of stubble along his slightly softer jaw. He was shorter, too, Tony thought, and just... a bit different. Tony could still tell it was Loki, but the difference was so startling that nobody else should be able to tell.

'Awesome,' Tony blinked, and Loki smirked before he morphed back into his usual dark/pale self.

'It takes very little energy on my part to change my appearance,' Loki said. 'I can keep that illusion for many days if needed.'

'Awesome,' Tony repeated. 'Be my boyfriend.'

Loki started at that, almost slopping rice and sauce down his... tunic? Some type of tunic/t-shirt hybrid. He'd been wearing it under his armour.

'Just hear me out,' Tony said when Loki turned narrowed eyes on him. 'If I have a boyfriend, someone I'm apparently committed to, then it'll make more sense that I haven't tried to sleep with my assistant.'

'Won't it seem strange, you suddenly being in a monogamous relationship?' Loki questioned.

'Nope, 'cause I've tried it a few times,' Tony told him. 'A bit weird, yeah, 'cause I'm well-known for sleeping with all things beautiful. But I've had three serious relationships in my life; two with men, and one with Pepper.'

'Men?' Loki echoed, and Tony nodded.

'I was younger; it was before I turned into such an asshole.' Loki snickered. 'They both lasted a few months, though, and I told Pepper about them when we dated. So it'll seem more believable 'cause you're a guy.'

'I see,' Loki hummed. 'Do you remember, Stark, me mentioning that I don't share?'

Tony nodded. Oh, yeah, he remembered that; both before they'd slept together _and _after. Loki liked snarling, "mine!" when they were fucking. Which was ridiculously hot, Tony could admit; a bit different, but hot all the same.

'Anyway,' Tony cleared his throat, poking at his food. He really _was _hungry, and he'd already eaten half; Loki was right about his sudden increase in appetite. 'I pretend that I've secretly been seeing you for a while, and you move into the Tower. I'll set up a back-story for you, as well as a job, and that way when SHIELD investigates it's on the up and up. Again, it'll work in our favour; you get all access to the Tower, and the Avengers, without Thor knowing. We can also hang out a lot so we don't have to sneak around as much. Also, it'll explain why I've suddenly stopped sleeping around.'

'I see,' Loki nodded, eyeing something green that he'd stabbed with a chopstick. 'I don't like these.'

'Then don't eat them,' Tony snorted.

Loki ignored his comment. 'Fine, I shall be your _partner_, Stark. I have no desire to be called your _boyfriend_.'

'Whatever,' Tony waved a hand. 'You got a name you wanna use?'

'Logan,' Loki said instantly, which again made Tony snort. 'I have found that using a name that is similar to my own, even by just a letter, is much easier to remember,' Loki explained. 'Also, _Logan _sounds more similar to _Loki _than any other Midgardian name I can think of.'

'No, Logan; that's cool,' Tony nodded. 'I'll make up a back-story for you now.' He tossed the remains of his box into his mouth, chewing as he put it aside, and went to find a StarkPad. When he'd retaken his seat, Loki was still picking through his food, but now had his complete focus on Tony. 'So, full-name...'

'I have been going by Logan Larson,' Loki said, 'however my current apartment is rented under that name, and if I use that name again I'm assuming that SHIELD will find out.'

'Different surname, then,' Tony nodded, eyes on his StarkPad. 'Okay, Logan... Logan...'

'Thomas,' Loki interrupted. Tony glanced at him, and the god shrug. 'It is a name I heard recently.'

'Logan Thomas,' Tony tested the name, 'sounds alright. Want a middle name?'

'What is a middle name?' Loki asked.

'Well, you know... a name between your first name and surname,' Tony said. 'Mine's Edward.'

'Why do you Midgardians insist on having so many names?'

'No idea,' Tony shrugged.

'Do I need one?'

'Not really,' Tony said. As far as he knew, Pepper didn't have a middle name. 'But I'm giving you one anyway,' the genius decided. Loki just shook his head, looking amused. 'Logan... William Thomas,' he decided, typing out the name. 'Birthday?'

'No idea,' Loki admitted. 'Are we using different information for Lady Loki?'

'Yeah, we'll have to,' Tony nodded. 'I'll do all that myself, though. Unless you have any objections?'

'As long as my name isn't something ridiculous, I don't care,' Loki shrugged.

'Got a name for your woman form?' Tony questioned.

'Not on Midgard,' Loki said. He was now sliding pieces of vegetables that he didn't like back into the bag, hunched over the table with his side to Tony. 'On Álfheimr I went by Loptr.'

'Loptr... okay, no, that won't work,' Tony shook his head. 'Can you do an American accent? Making your female alias British might be too suspicious.'

'Of course I can,' Loki snorted. 'I can mimic most voices.'

'Okay, awesome,' Tony nodded. 'A woman's name... how about Lily?'

'Lily?' Loki drawled.

'Yeah, as in the flower,' Tony said. Loki scowled, but didn't say _no_, so Tony typed that down. 'Lily Walden,' he decided, not letting Loki get a word in. 'I'll make you older than your male alias. You barely look thirty to me,' Tony said, 'but we'll make you a bit older than that so I don't get called a cradle robber.'

'A what?'

'Never mind,' Tony brushed Loki's question aside. 'How about... February 9th 1981 for your male alias?'

'I suppose I'll have to memorise all this information,' Loki said, sitting back and shovelling rice and vegetables into his mouth.

'That makes you 33 as of today, what with it being late February,' Tony said. 'And your female form will be... thirty-five?' He looked at Loki, head tilted. 'Yeah, thirty-five,' he decided.

'Very well,' Loki nodded.

'Birth place... well, your accent sounds English, so somewhere in England,' Tony hummed, more to himself than Loki. 'We'll just say Westminster, that sounds familiar. Okay, so Westminster... a hospital near there... schools...' Tony began muttering to himself over the course of the following minutes, leaving Loki free to pick and choose what food he was eating. When Tony came back to himself, Loki had eaten a further one and a half boxes of food and was now chewing on some prawn chips. 'Okay, got it,' Tony grinned at him, waving his StarkPad. 'I named your parents Dennis and Molly.'

Loki just rolled his eyes.

'I'll go into more detail later with JARVIS and let you review both sets of aliases,' Tony said, tossing his StarkPad aside. He was still starving.

'It all sounds fine so far,' Loki shrugged.

'Awesome,' Tony said. Okay, he had to stop that, he'd said it like forty times this night. Okay, not forty, but whatever; Tony was _hungry_. In fact, he shovelled down food so quickly that he almost choked at least three times, and Loki began to look concerned when Tony could barely swallow.

'Stark...' he began, but Tony's chest chose that moment to _explode_. He gasped and dropped his container, spraying rice and meat all over the floor and his legs. He clutched at his chest tightly as another sharp, stabbing _throb _went through him near the arc reactor. 'Stark!' Loki shouted when Tony dropped to his knees, barely managing to not smack his head against the coffee table. 'Stark,' Loki repeated, suddenly appearing beside him. He eased Tony back onto the floor and pulled Tony's hand away from his chest. 'Besides the glowing thing in your chest, do you have any other serious ailments?' Loki demanded.

Tony was gasping for breath by now, but managed a stuttered, half-panicked, 'Sh-Shrapnel... in-in my chest...' He trailed off to hiss, fingers digging into his chest through his t-shirt.

'Shrapnel,' Loki frowned.

'From a missile,' Tony gasped, 's'what gave me this.' He tapped at his arc reactor and then groaned. God, he was dying. Great, just great; he'd finally found a way to destroy SHIELD, only to die a day later. _Awesome_.

'You are not dying,' Loki drawled, grabbing Tony's hands and holding them in his own. 'This is the apple.'

'A-Apple?' Tony stuttered.

Loki nodded. 'The apple has changed your body; you now heal much, much quicker and better than any mortal. Your body is healing you.'

'So...'

'It will get rid of any foreign objects in your body,' Loki told him.

Tony's panic suddenly sky-rocketed. 'Reactor?' he gasped, trying to sit, but Loki firmly held him down.

'No, I don't believe so,' Loki shook his head. 'The reactor uses an element that emits energy very similar to magic. Your body, and whatever magic you posses, won't be able to get rid of it.'

'Magic... a-awesome,' Tony muttered, his teeth now gritted, eyes scrunched in pain.

'It will be over soon,' Loki soothed, brushing Tony's hair back from his sweaty forehead. If Tony hadn't been, you know, in agonising pain, he would have laughed; Loki comforting him. Weird.

Loki was telling the truth; within half-an-hour the pain had started to disappear, slowly ebbing away, leaving Tony feeling weak, shaky, and too hot. Loki finally let him stand, but Tony needed the god's help to get back to the lounge. He dropped onto it with a groan and looked down at his shirt. The material was peppered with blood, and when Tony touched it he felt bits of metal beneath it. He lifted his shirt off, only wincing a bit, to find pieces of shrapnel stuck to his smooth, bloody skin.

'Wow.'

'You no longer need to worry about this shrapnel,' Loki said, waving a hand at Tony's chest. The blood and metal disappeared, leaving Tony's skin clean.

'Wow,' Tony repeated. 'That's... okay, that's just really, _really _cool,' he decided. 'Best side-effect of the apple by far. So,' he dropped his shirt again and reached for the box he'd dropped on the coffee table. Yeah, he was still dying of hunger here. 'I have magic?'

'All Midgardians do,' Loki nodded, 'however you are unable to harness it. Your bodies haven't evolved to that level yet.'

'Yeah, that's what I thought,' Tony mumbled around a mouthful.

'You may find that you are able to tap into it,' Loki said, 'now that your body is more similar to mine than a mortal's. I shall help you, if you wish.'

'M'kay,' Tony nodded. 'Tony Stark; sorcerer. Sounds great.'

Loki rolled his eyes.

'Hey, what am I the god of?' Tony suddenly asked, turning to grin at Loki. 'Sex?'

Loki shook his head. But there was a smile on his lips, so Tony grinned, too.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Yes, I used a lot of Tom Hiddleston's information; both his first and middle name, as well as his birthday, for Loki's male alias. I couldn't help myself :p

Cheers,

{Dreamer}


	5. Chapter Five

**Chapter Five**

'No, seriously, what am I the god of?'

Loki sighed. Stark had been asking that question non stop since he woke. They'd both retired around midnight the previous night, and the human- no longer mortal- had slept well into the next afternoon. Like Loki had said, eating a Golden Apple, and suddenly being a god, was a lot for his body to deal with. Stark would no doubt find himself tiring easily, and craving food, for a number of days. That should wane in a week or so, though, Loki wasn't quite certain; not many mortals were turned into gods.

'I do not know, Stark,' Loki scowled. He was re-reading over his two aliases; he wanted all basis covered before he met with the Avengers and the general public. 'Just tell me what you _want _to be the god of, and I shall tell you if the title is already taken.'

The God of Sex was already taken- unfortunately, Stark kept bemoaning- by a woman whom Loki had become quite acquainted with when he was younger. He'd been about 600 when he'd lain with her. In human years, he'd been but a teenager. He was still only considered a young adult by Æsir standers; nineteen or twenty in Midgarian terms.

That was around the time that Loki had realised he preferred the flesh of men. His marriage to Sigyn had just cemented that fact. Of course, it had just been another thing for Sif and the Warriors Three to bully him about. It was perfectly fine for warriors to lay with each other when they were drunk or trekking somewhere for battle, but for a man to actually choose males over females? And here they'd thought that Loki could stoop no lower.

It was something that Loki liked about Midgard; their acceptance of so many things. Oh, he was quite aware that there were still debates and hatred and all kinds of awful things said about and done to those who didn't fit into the categories others made. But for the most part they were far more accepting than Asgard.

'Hmm...' Stark hummed. They were in his workshop, Stark tinkering with his Iron Man suit, Loki seated on the sofa against one wall, a StarkPad on his lap. 'God of Technology? No, wait; that sounds like I control it or something.'

'Don't you?' Loki questioned, not looking up at the genius. 'You have revolutionised it since you were but a boy, have you not? Your technology would be considered a form of magic on some Realms.'

'Really?'

'On Asgard, definitely,' Loki nodded. 'We have nothing of the sort. Humans developed technology, Æsir developed magic.'

'Huh,' Stark grunted. 'Nah, I want a cooler sounding name. How about... God of Sass?'

Loki snorted, and Stark grinned at him.

'Okay, that was a joke,' Stark conceded. 'God of... One Liners... One-night Stands... Creation... Iron? No, the suit isn't _actually _made of iron, that makes no sense.'

'How about God of Rambling?' Loki suggested. He flicked the StarkPad, drawing up new information.

'Shut up,' Stark muttered. 'Oh!' he suddenly gasped, waving some type of tool at Loki. 'God of Cunning?'

Loki blinked at that. Huh. There was, to Loki's knowledge, no God of Cunning. 'That... actually fits,' he nodded slowly, bright eyes finding Tony. 'You certainly are very cunning.'

Tony grinned, looking pleased with himself.

'God of Cunning and Inspiration,' Loki murmured, more to himself than Stark, but the billionaire heard him. 'You create things,' Loki said, nodding at the gauntlet Tony was working on, 'but the Gods of Creativity and Creation already exists. However, you inspire others to do as you do; rival companies, villains, and the general populace. It fits.'

'Huh,' Tony repeated, staring at him. 'Okay, then,' he smirked, 'God of Cunning and Inspiration it is.'

Loki smiled.

'So, now that I'm a god,' Stark said, attention going back to his glove, 'can I use magic? I mean, Thor's mentioned that he _can _use magic, just nowhere near to your level. He can also detect your magic when you use a large quantity of it, right?'

Loki nodded and put his StarkPad aside; he'd already memorised the information. He stood and went to Stark's side, letting his eyes glide over the workshop. It was a fascinating place; there seemed to be no order, tools and projects and random objects strewn everywhere, but Stark definitely knew his way around. Everything was where Stark wanted it to be; controlled chaos. Loki loved it.

'As I've mentioned before, magic is a form of energy that is in most things, Midgard and humans included. Your human bodies just lack the ability to sense and harness it. However, some people and species have more magic, and find it much easier to use.'

'So... what, 'cause you're a Frost Giant, you can use it better than Thor?' Tony questioned.

Loki's jaw tightened at the mention of his true heritage, but he forced it aside. If he continued to react like that, his enemies would use it against him; Thor had plenty of times. So Loki took a deep breath and let it go. Yes, he was a Frost Giant. No, he couldn't change it. Moving on.

'Yes,' Loki nodded, opening his eyes and focusing them on Stark. 'There has always been a much higher percentage of mages on Jötunheimr than there have been on Asgard. Both races can detect and harness magic much easier than a human. However, the Jötnar have always been able to access it easier. I'm not sure why that is.'

'Ice?' Tony shrugged.

Loki frowned. 'Excuse me?'

'Well, this is just a theory,' Stark immediately responded, making Loki realise that the human had been pondering this since learning what Loki was, 'but I think it's the ice. In your Frost Giant form, you're colder and blue. I'm assuming that Yotie-ham is-'

'Jo-TUN-hame,' Loki interrupted.

'Whatever,' Tony waved a hand and Loki smirked. 'I'm assuming that it's a cold place?'

'Yes,' Loki inclined his head. 'It is covered in ice and snow, and is never above freezing. You would die after a few hours if you left your body unprotected.'

'Right,' Tony said. 'So, the environment is icy. Meaning that the...'

'Jötnar,' Loki provided.

'Jötnar,' Tony continued, 'you Jötnar evolved to live in harsh conditions like that. Meaning that your ability to sense and use magic evolved differently to the Asgardians. You can manipulate and create ice, but a mage from Asgard can't, am I correct?'

'Yes,' Loki said.

'Well there you go,' Tony clapped his hands together. 'There are more mages in... Frost Giant Land, because you evolved differently. Your bodies are able to tap into either a different type of magic, or magic that Asgardians just can't use. Ergo, more mages in Giant Town.'

Loki tilted his head. He supposed that that made sense. If Thor applied himself, he could very well use some of the tricks that Loki used; his magical core was nowhere near as large as Loki's, but all it took was patience and practice. But Thor would never be able to manipulate ice because he wasn't a Frost Giant; Æsir just couldn't do it.

'It's like the fact that I will never be able to do what you can do magic-wise,' Tony continued, pulling open a small panel on his Iron Man glove, 'my body just can't physically do it.'

'I see,' Loki hummed. 'That would also explain why almost every single elf on Álfheimr can use magic. They have been practising the art for many, many more millennia than the Æsir.'

'Exactly,' Stark nodded.

Loki watched him work for a few minutes, mulling over Stark's comments, before leaning against the workbench. 'Back to your original question,' the god said, and Stark made a soft noise, 'now that you are a god, you can use magic.'

Tony looked up at that, already grinning.

'However,' Loki said, and Stark pouted, making the Trickster chuckle. '_However_,' Loki repeated, 'it will take much, much practice; practice that includes meditation.'

'Sitting still?' Stark groaned.

'Yes,' Loki said. 'To be able to use magic, you must first be able to sense it. And to be able to sense it, we must find if you have a magical core. You should; almost every creature does, even if they can't actually use it. It remains to be seen if your magical core is large enough to be of any use, however.'

'Well, what do you think?' Tony asked, looking up at Loki.

Loki tilted his head. 'At worst, your magical core will be so small that you can only use the smallest of elemental and shield spells. At best, you will be able to throw magic as I can and influence people's feelings and thoughts very vaguely. There are a number of spells that I can teach you if that is the case.'

'Awesome,' Stark grinned.

'You also might be able to alter your appearance slightly,' Loki added, looking the human over. 'Changing your appearance is very difficult, but takes little magical energy once you're able to perfect it.'

'_Really _awesome,' Tony beamed. 'I could totally fuck with people.'

'Of course you'd use magic to _trick _people,' Loki snorted.

'Hello, God of _Mischief_!' Tony said, waving a hand at Loki. 'You have no right to judge me.'

'I'm not judging,' Loki smirked, 'just commenting.'

'Whatever,' Tony muttered. 'Hey, you wanna go out and get a late lunch? Or early dinner, whatever. I'm starving.'

'So soon?' Loki questioned. He didn't mean the time; it was almost five pm, according to one of Stark's holographic monitors. No, he meant he and Stark being seen in public.

'I know that you've memorised all the info we wrote,' Tony said, pointing at the StarkPad that Loki had abandoned on the sofa. 'And, really, neither of us wants to wait too long to put our plan into action. The sooner I show up with a boyfriend- sorry, _partner_- the better. Let the media photograph us together until Pepper or someone else asks. In a week or two I'll move you in. Then, maybe you suggest- in front of everyone- that I get an assistant. I bitch and moan but agree and then hire Lady Loki before Pepper can find someone.'

Loki blinked. Stark had it all figured out. Of course, most of their plan- or plans, really- were going to be made up as they went. They had no idea what kind of information Loki would find, and that's _if _he were hired by SHIELD to spy on Tony. Also, they weren't quite sure yet on how they wanted to destroy SHIELD. They've both agreed that their top priority was to find every secret base that SHIELD used; they had to wipe out the entire agency, after all.

Loki found it breathtaking and arousing, making plans with someone this _clever_. Stark was a genius, he really was, and it made Loki's heart beat quicker in his chest. He'd never worked with anyone- he'd never _met_ anyone- as smart as Tony Stark. Oh, there had been various people just as clever as him, just as intelligent in their selected field, but nobody who thought the way Stark did, nobody who thought the way _Loki _did.

Controlled chaos.

'I want to fuck you over this table,' Loki stated, and Stark dropped his tools, eyes wide as he turned to the god. 'Preferably before we eat,' Loki added, dusting imaginary dirt from his sleeve. 'And after.'

'Oh... kay,' Stark said. 'Okay, yes, I am _definitely _on-board with that.' And then he swept his work aside, jumped to sit on the table, and spread his legs, all while wearing a lecherous grin. 'Coming, Green Eyes?'

Loki smirked. Oh, he _would_ be.

{oOo}

Loki looked pretty good as Logan, Tony could admit, but he preferred Loki's usual looks in all honesty. He made sure to tell Loki that, because he had a feeling that the Trickster wasn't used to people wanting him for _him_; just for what he was capable of doing. Tony knew the feeling all too well, and wanted his business partner/boyfriend happy, so... yeah.

Being someone's partner again was a bit weird, but Tony was kind of okay with it. Loki was fucking gorgeous, intelligent, clever... just really, _really _awesome. He was the smartest person Tony had ever slept with, and probably the hottest, too. So being monogamous? Yeah, Tony could totally do that with Loki. Why fuck someone else when he had access to a _god_? Huh, he was one, too. He kept forgetting that.

'I haven't had different features in many, many years,' Loki commented as he and Tony zipped through the streets. Manhattan wasn't exactly the best place to drive a Jaguar, but Tony didn't care; if he hit anyone, he could pay for the damages. 'It's odd.'

'You've never looked any different?' Tony questioned. 'I mean, naturally,' he added when Loki turned to look at him. 'My hair was a bit blondish when I was really young; like, when I was five. It turned dark pretty quickly.'

'Really?' Loki snorted, looking highly amused. 'You have pictures, I hope?'

'Shut up,' Tony muttered and Loki chuckled.

'No, I've always had very dark hair and green eyes; at least, I assume I have. We don't have photographs on Asgard like you do here. There are a few paintings and such of when I was a babe and a child, but nothing too detailed. I think I recall Frigga saying that I had blue eyes when I was jut a babe, but...' he trailed off and shrugged, apparently not wanting to go into detail on that. Tony had a feeling that it had something to do with the whole "adopted and actually a Frost Giant" thing, but he wasn't gonna push.

'So, still going vegetarian?' Tony asked. 'I know a good restaurant that makes a killer veggie lasagne. At least I think it does, my date at the time said it was great.'

'Oh, taking me to past haunts, Stark?' Loki teased. 'How unoriginal.'

'Shut up, it has good food,' Tony huffed, 'and the paparazzi are more likely to spot me there and take pictures. And that _is _what we want to happen, remember?'

'Mm, yes,' Loki hummed.

'Also, call me Tony,' the genius ordered as he pulled up in front of a restaurant. 'My dates never call me _Stark _unless there's a "Mr" fixed on there.'

'Whatever you say, _Anthony_,' Loki purred before climbing out of the car. Tony blinked. And then shivered. _Damn_.

Loki was waiting for him, and wrapped an arm around Tony's back as soon as the human was close enough. Tony snorted but put his arm around Loki's waist, tugging him towards the doors. A valet appeared, seeming only slightly nervous about meeting Tony Stark, but Tony ignored him as he tossed him his keys and entered the restaurant.

It was a swanky place coloured in muted reds and off-whites. The floor beneath them was wood, with large, thick rugs covering most walkways. Paintings that Tony never paid attention to hung on the walls, and there were random ornaments everywhere; again, Tony didn't care.

The line was rather long, but Tony walked past it, ignoring the huffs of annoyance he got, as well as the whispers of, "Is that Tony Stark?"

A couple hundred dollars slid into the right pocket, and suddenly Tony and Loki were being seated at one of the best tables and given drinks menus. Loki just put his aside, clearly having no idea about Midgardian alcohol, so Tony scanned his own before ordering a bottle of wine; wine went with anything, didn't it?

When the waiter finally left, Tony smiled at Loki over the table.

'What?' Loki questioned. His voice was off; slightly lighter, calmer, just... a bit different to his usual voice. Tony didn't like it, but... well, he just much preferred Loki as himself.

'Nothing,' Tony shrugged. 'You look good.'

Loki had resized one of Tony's suits to fit him, because he had very little in the way of Midgardian clothing. He mostly just used glamours, he'd told Tony. But apparently he'd felt like wearing a real suit tonight, so was sporting a black Armani with a deep blue shirt that matched his eyes, and a blue and black striped tie. His hair- curly blonde because he was Logan- had been styled with magic.

Tony realised that he'd have to buy Loki a wardrobe; he couldn't magic everything with the possibility of Thor catching him.

'Shopping trip,' Tony grinned, and Loki raised an eyebrow.

'Excuse me?'

'Gotta get you some new clothes, _Logan,_' Tony said, smirking when Loki rolled his eyes. 'I'm assuming you'll want lots of green and black?'

'Not if Thor is around,' Loki sniffed, voice low to avoid being overheard. 'Black and blue should work; the latter will match my current eye colour.'

Oh, yeah... Loki's eyes were blue, _bright _blue what with the shirt he was wearing really making the colour pop. God, Loki was hot no matter what he looked like.

Right, why did Tony suggest dinner again? They should've stayed in the Tower and fucked like rabbits all night long. Then again, Tony was already kind of tired- damn apple!- and he_ was _hungry. So, yeah; public dinner.

It wasn't long before they ordered- steak for Tony, some type of vegetarian pasta for Loki- and settled into light conversation as they ate. They'd barely started before Loki leaned forward, blue eyes locked on Tony. 'We're being watched.'

'I'm always being watched,' Tony shrugged. 'By who?' he then asked.

'Almost everyone,' Loki commented. 'The waiters, the patrons... somebody outside with a camera.'

'Can you see who it is?' Tony questioned. 'The person with the camera?'

'I'm unsure whether it's one of your Midgardian reporters or a SHIELD agent,' Loki hummed under his breath. He stabbed at a piece of carrot with his fork and popped into his mouth, chewing as he glanced over Tony's shoulder.

'I don't suppose it matters,' Tony said. 'We want everyone to know that we're together.'

'True,' Loki nodded. He smirked suddenly and put his fork down, making Tony raise his eyebrows, and lean over the table. 'Perhaps we should give them something to _really _look at, hmm?'

Tony had a feeling he knew where this was going, and swallowed slightly when Loki leaned over the table, his height making the action look easy and graceful. Tony's breath caught in his throat when soft, cold lips pressed against his own, but he quickly got with the programme and licked Loki's bottom lip, sliding his tongue in when Loki's lips parted. Tony leaned on the table heavily with one hand, keeping himself upright as he cupped Loki's jaw with his other hand. He then ran his fingers through Loki's hair, and Tony wasn't sure he'd ever get used to Loki having such _short _hair. He could really pull of the L'Oreal look.

They broke apart after about a minute, keeping the kiss chaste, and Loki grinned at the slightly dumbfounded look Tony was sporting. But Loki's pale cheeks were tinted pink, so Tony counted it as a draw. He smiled and sat back, making himself comfortable once more.

'Damn, Lo',' he hummed and picked up his knife and fork.

'What?' Loki questioned.

'Even small kisses from you are breathtaking,' Tony said. Loki looked surprised, and then shy, and Tony just winked as he slid a piece of steak into his mouth.

Loki sat back down, blue eyes taking on a mischievous glint, and Tony knew that he'd pay at some point for making the god blush.

Totally worth it.

{oOo}

Tony realised that they _really_ shouldn't have gone out to a fancy restaurant just after he'd paid the bill. He was still hungry; not starving, like he had been before, but he could go another steak, maybe some chips or a burger. He'd have to keep an eye on his appetite when the Avengers returned, because him suddenly eating copious amounts of food would definitely raise a few eyebrows. Tony was rather famous for skipping as many meals as possible before he dropped, and when he _did _eat it usually wasn't that much.

'We gotta stop by a White Castle or something,' Tony murmured to Loki as they stood. Loki had removed his jacket sometime during dinner and was pulling it back on.

'Hmm?'

Tony smiled and reached up, smoothing down the shoulders and lapels. Loki raised an eyebrow. 'I'm still hungry,' the genius admitted.

Loki chuckled. 'As am I. However, we'll have to keep up appearances when out in public. And Tony Stark is well known for his fine dining, is he not?'

'Yeah,' Tony nodded. He held an arm out and Loki threaded his through, the two walking through the restaurant. 'We'll just have to stop at a fast food place, or order something else in,' Tony said as they walked. 'I'll have to start keeping actual food in my penthouse so we can snack.'

Loki just nodded, and a mask fell across his face as he and Tony stepped outside of the restaurant. There were reporters everywhere, and Tony realised that his and Loki's little kiss- and the few more they'd exchanged throughout the night- must have got some tongues waggling. Tony had never made his pansexuality a secret, it was just that usually he was attracted to women. Plus, men just seemed to be a bit more discreet; they didn't want their affair with Tony Stark all over the news. So Tony had rarely been photographed with men, not since he was twenty-two and had his second serious relationship. Ah, Victor... he'd taught Tony a fair bit about giving a good blow job.

The questions started immediately, shouted from left, right and centre. Tony just waited patiently as cameras flashed, recording devices and cellphones were shoved in his face, and men and women jostled for the best position.

'He's my boyfriend,' Tony said when there was a short lull in the questions, and earned an elbow to the gut. 'Ow, right, _partner_,' he wheezed slightly, giving Loki a glare. Loki, of course, just smiled like the prick he was.

'Partner?' somebody shouted, which was followed by a dozen other questions that Tony had no hope of hearing. Seriously, why did these people believe that Tony could hear- and would _answer_- every fucking question they had? The lights constantly flashing in his face weren't helping. They were lucky that the lights didn't make him have a fucking fit or something.

Finally, after a good minute of shouting and pushing and _flash, flash, flash_, Tony heard, 'Is this you coming out, Mr Stark?'

Tony outright laughed at that, and Loki looked fairly amused beside him. '_Coming out_?' Tony echoed, locking eyes with the woman who'd shouted the question. 'Oh, honey, how _young _are you?' She flushed to the roots of her dyed-blonde hair, clearly annoyed. 'I've been _out _since I was seventeen and got caught fucking a guy at MIT. I've been outta the metaphorical closest for a _long time_.'

More questions were shouted; Tony ignored them.

'Not gay!' he shouted when he heard the word repeated. 'Bisexual, if you have to use a label,' he corrected, 'or pansexual, really; that one would fit me better. That's if you lot even know what that is.'

He was met with blank stares.

'Didn't think so,' Tony rolled his eyes. 'Anyway, yes; this is my boyfriend, lover, special somebody, whatever you wanna call it. Darling,' he turned to Loki, who smiled sweetly (which was fucking _hilarious_), 'wanna introduce yourself?'

'Logan Thomas,' Loki informed them. He even had the ID to prove it, 'cause Tony could maybe make his own... you know, for shits and giggles.

And then the questions were shouted at _Loki_. The god just blinked, looking entirely unconcerned, and waited until they'd all shut up to answer. 'Yes, I'm British; I'm from England. I currently live here and have for the past few months. I met Anthony a few weeks ago at a bar, we hit if off, we decided to continue seeing each other. And that's all you'll get from me.'

He finished by tugging on Tony's arm, and Tony waved cheerfully at the reporters before leading Loki back to the car. A valet handed Tony's keys over, and Tony slipped two hundred dollar bills into the kid's pocket; that kind of money went a long way for young guys working this sort of job. Tony opened the door for Loki, and Loki made a show of kissing him thoroughly before getting in, letting all the reporters get a good dozen or so pictures.

Tony just smirked and slammed the door shut.

* * *

**Author's Note: **The God of Cunning and Inspiration comes from _Practical Villainy_ by Like_a_Hurricane. It's the fourth story in the Tricks of the Trade series, and I highly recommend reading all of them. They can be found on AO3.

Cheers,

{Dreamer}


	6. Chapter Six

**Chapter Six**

* * *

"_The city sleeps and we're lost in the moment_

_Another kiss says we're lying on the pavement_

_If they could see us, they were jealous that we're crazy_

_But I know, they just don't understand"_

– _Take My Hand [Simple Plan]_

* * *

JARVIS had not-so-helpfully reminded Tony that he was on patrol that night- something the Avengers had initiated since Loki's escape and reappearance- so after a quickie with said god, Tony donned his Iron Man suit to do a few laps of the city.

Everything was peaceful- well, as peaceful as "the city that never sleeps" ever got. After about twenty minutes, Tony scanned the police radio to see if anything was happening, but there were only a few robberies and domestic disputes called in, and Tony didn't care about that shit. Really, he hardly cared about the big shit that the Avengers were called in on; stuff like von Doom and Loki and whatever other super villain had decided to crawl from the woodwork.

As long as they didn't touch his things, he was fine with them blowing up whatever the hell they wanted. Really, Tony had no idea why he'd waited so long to contact Loki; their agreement was about revenge- about taking down SHIELD- but Tony was barely scraping by as a hero as it was. He should have joined Loki much sooner.

Tony did a few flips, tested a few things, and made some notes; he was always trying to upgrade the suit, and he was looking for things to add to his latest suit; one that he could wear when taking down SHIELD. The Iron Man suits were mostly built for defence rather than offence, but soon he'd be going up against the Avengers, which included the Hulk and a Norse god; Tony needed better guns.

'_Sir, a target is heading directly for you_,' JARVIS suddenly piped in, pulling Tony from his thoughts.

'Where?' Tony asked, straightening his suit and flying steady.

'_One-hundred and ten feet north-west and closing in,_' JARVIS responded.

'Scan,' Tony said.

JARVIS did as asked, and soon an image was pulled up; a rough wire-frame of whatever was speeding towards Tony like a bullet. Fifty feet, thirty, twenty, five-

'_SHIT_!' Tony screeched- yes, he could admit it, he was comfortable with his masculinity, thank you very much- as a giant fucking _dragon _suddenly popped up in front of him. And it _was _a fucking dragon; an Asian one (so Tony had been obsessed with dragons when he was five, sue him), with a long, serpentine body, leathery-black wings, and claws that looked like they could rip Tony's suit apart.

It hovered just before Tony, not making a move to attack, and Tony just... stared, a bit. Had JARVIS take pictures. Waved a little.

The dragon laughed- Tony was sure of it- and opened its jaw. Smoke poured from its throat, and Tony watched, in a bit of a trance, as letters- _words_- started forming from the smoke.

_You are ridiculous_.

Tony blinked. Did a dragon just _sass _him? His life was fucked up.

Putting the suit on speaker, Tony said, 'Fuck you.'

The dragon smirked; again, Tony was sure of it. More smoke streamed from its throat, its nostrils, forming more words.

_You already did_.

Tony frowned at that. Wait a...

'_Loki_?!'

The dragon did a spin, tail flicking and wings beating to keep it hovering in the air. It drew closer and Tony had to fight down every instinct he had that was telling him to _haul ass, get the fuck out, it's a motherfucking dragon!_ He just continued to hover as the creature approached, and when it got closer-

'_Sir, the dragon's eye colour is an exact match for Loki Lie-Smith_,' JARVIS informed him.

Tony rolled his eyes. 'Yeah, J, I got that.' He looked back at Loki the dragon- because apparently that was something that Loki could fucking _do_. 'A dragon, really?'

More smoke words.

_I was going to choose some type of bird form, but I figured that you'd just fly past._

Tony chuckled. 'Yeah, okay; a dragon definitely caught my attention.'

Loki suddenly jerked his head to the right and then lifted higher into the air before turning, his body sliding through the air gracefully. Tony raised an eyebrow but followed when Loki started flying away; he even slowed down so Tony could follow.

Loki led them to a rooftop and transformed halfway through a dive; suddenly he was wearing his Asgardian armour, black hair whipping around his head as he fell the last ten or so feet. He landed on the roof in a crouch and rolled, easily straightening to his feet afterwards. Tony landed a lot less gracefully and flipped Loki off even before raising his faceplate.

'Show off,' he scowled. Loki chuckled. 'Okay; what the fuck was that?' Tony demanded as he walked towards Loki, his boots crushing whatever was beneath his feet.

'I don't like awakening alone, Stark,' Loki said, 'especially when I went to sleep in rather high spirits.'

Tony put on an exaggerated pout, making Loki smirk. 'Aww, did Lo-Lo miss Tony?'

'Shut up, you filthy mortal!' Loki snapped, but his tone was more affectionate than anything, so Tony grinned and closed the remaining distance between them. He pressed a kiss to Loki's lips- and, _awesome_, the Iron Man suit made him almost as tall as Loki- and Loki easily returned the gesture.

'Dragon,' Tony said when they broke apart, 'awesome.'

'Shapeshifter,' was Loki's response.

'So are there dragons on Asgard?' Tony asked.

'Not Asgard, no,' Loki shook his head. 'But on other realms. I may take you one day; they are fascinating creatures.'

'Yeah,' Tony breathed. He had a feeling that real dragons would be a _bit _bigger than Loki's form, but whatever. Motherfucking dragons! 'So, you just decided to pop out and have a fly with me?' he asked.

Loki shrugged one shoulder and walked towards the edge of the roof. There was no wall; nothing to stop anyone falling right off the edge. Behind them were a few maintenance rooms, some air-cons, and whatever else people stuck atop skyscrapers to keep them running. He figured that nobody but maintenance staff were allowed up here; hence, no need for a wall.

'I was suddenly hit with the urge to look across this city,' Loki said when Tony joined him.

'Oh?' Tony hummed.

'Mm,' Loki nodded once. 'Soon, this will all be ours.'

Tony giggled; he couldn't help it. 'Everything the light touches will be our kingdom.' Loki just turned to him, one eyebrow going up. 'Okay, seriously; movie day,' Tony decided. 'I make hilariously awesome jokes, you gotta appreciate them.'

'Mm,' Loki repeated.

'Anyway,' Tony cleared his throat and let his own eyes glance down at the city before them. 'I already own this city.'

'Indeed,' Loki agreed. 'However, soon we shall own it completely. No SHIELD rushing about pretending to claim ownership; no Avengers trying to defend it and hinder our plans; no backwards villains vying to be the best.'

Tony snickered. 'You know, the Avengers were worried that you'd start working with von Doom.'

'Excuse me?' Loki rounded on the genius, looking thoroughly pissed off. 'I would _never _lower myself so much as to work with someone like _Victor_. He talks about himself in third person!'

'That's what I said!' Tony nodded. 'Clint made some comment about you both using magic, and I said that Doom's "magic" was child's play when compared to yours. I said that no real sorcerer-'

'Mage,' Loki corrected.

'Mage,' Tony rolled his eyes, 'no self-respecting _mage _would actually work with someone as unskilled as Doom. Especially considering that Doom's a mortal.'

'Exactly,' Loki sniffed, eyes finding the city once more. 'I don't work with mortals.'

'So I've heard,' Tony laughed.

Loki smiled faintly, his eyes still on the city, and they fell into silence; both men- _immortals_- just... staring, in silence. Usually, Tony wasn't good with silence. He blasted music very, very loudly whenever he worked. When he didn't want music, the clanking of his tools, the whir of his computers, was enough to drown out the silence. At night it was whatever warm body he'd decided to pull into his bed, or the _tick, tick, tick _of the digital alarm clock he'd purposely built to make the _ticking _noise. He hadn't done well with silence when he was younger, and he sure as hell hadn't done well with it after Afghanistan and that fucking wormhole.

But now, just standing with Loki by his side, it was... okay. Oh, there were the vague sounds of traffic bellow; of people still rushing about despite it being near eleven o'clock at night. But for the most part, just silence... and Tony was okay with it.

'You're in a weird mood tonight,' Tony commented after at least fifteen minutes of silence; and really, he should be given a medal for staying quiet that long.

'Mm,' Loki hummed, yet again.

'The dragon; the looking,' Tony continued. 'What gives?'

'I suppose that some part of me will mourn the loss of this... quiet, when we attack SHIELD,' Loki admitted. 'I usually abhor silence; it makes my skin itch. But I feel the need to look across at this city, right now, before we truly put our action into plan. This city- this _world_- has no idea what is about to happen.'

Yeah, Tony could kind of understand that. He wasn't about to make Iron Man a villain; he was building a suit, one that looked different in all the ways that counted, so that he could fight with Loki without the media catching wind of the fact that he and Loki had teamed up. SHIELD would know; and they'd no doubt try and sell Tony out to the media. But Tony owned this planet; they'd believe anything he said.

So yeah, while Tony owned the planet, he didn't own it in the way that he and Loki were planning; not yet. Soon he and Loki would own it completely; they'd destroy SHIELD and the Security Council and all the little villains running around thinking that they even had a _chance _of owning Midgard. Midgard would belong completely to Tony and Loki, and the world would have no idea.

'Now I'm in a weird mood,' Tony muttered. Loki chuckled beside him. 'No, seriously,' Tony said. 'You've got me thinking deep, Lo'. I don't like it. I'm supposed to be shallow.'

'My apologies,' Loki smirked, not looking apologetic in the slightest. 'I just felt the need to get out and... _see_. If that makes sense.'

'Yeah,' Tony nodded. It did. At least to Tony it did. 'The calm before the storm,' he murmured.

'Indeed,' Loki agreed.

'The Avengers will be back soon,' Tony said, deciding to change the topic. He'd been meaning to talk to Loki about this all day, but he'd forgotten; they'd had more important things to discuss. And there'd been the sex. Oh, Tony _loved _the sex.

Loki just raised both eyebrows, clearing waiting for Tony to continue.

'Steve had some Avengers-related publicity thing in Vegas. His flight gets in around midday tomorrow. Bruce is on the Helicarrier doing something super-secret SHIELD-related that Fury thinks I don't know about, but JARVIS tells me he'll be back tomorrow afternoon. Black Widow and Hawkeye are due the day after that, and I have no frickin' idea when Thor's getting back.'

'He can preform his Royal duties in two or three weeks, depending on what crises his attention needs,' Loki said. 'He's been on Asgard for... seventeen days, so he should be back by the end of the week.'

''Kay.'

'I had your computer- JARVIS- set up a fake address for Logan Thomas,' Loki continued, and Tony raised his eyebrows, turning to look at the god. 'I thought it prudent to have a former address before Logan moves into your Tower; something we both overlooked when first creating my alias.'

'Ah,' Tony hummed. 'Should I be concerned that you and my AI are getting along so well?'

Loki smirked; his lips slowly curling, eyes narrowing a bit, poison-green eyes sweeping over the city. 'Perhaps,' was all he said.

Tony snorted. Whatever. JARVIS would never betray him. And neither would Loki; not after their little contract was signed.

'JARVIS has been ordered not to mention your presence unless it's in relation to Logan and Lily,' Tony said, 'so you can hang around until Steve gets back, if you want.'

'Perhaps I should meet some of your team as Logan before I move in?' Loki suggested. 'That way they at least know me a little before you suddenly have me living there.'

'Yeah, good idea,' Tony agreed. 'I was thinking you can hang around on and off for about a month before moving in? Then introduce the idea of me getting an assistant.'

Loki just nodded and they fell into silence once more. It was comfortable, though, like before. Tony wasn't used to comfortable silences with people. He even started to fidget in Pepper's company after a few minutes.

'Well,' Tony finally breathed out, 'wanna head back? Maybe have a snack- 'cause seriously, I'm fucking starving- and maybe throw in a shower... and some sex. I really want sex.'

Loki chuckled and turned bodily, now facing Tony. 'You aren't subtle in the least, Mr Stark.'

'Do I really need to be?' Tony leered, letting his eyes wash over Loki from head to toe.

Loki's lips curled. 'Not at all.' He either stepped forward or teleported the distance between them, Tony had no idea, because suddenly his mouth was claimed in a rather rough, possessive kiss that made his Iron Man suit a bit uncomfortable. Hmm, he'd have to build a little bulge into the crotch of the next one if Loki was gonna keep this up.

They bit at each other's lips, and Loki clawed at Tony's neck while Tony tugged at Loki's hair non-to-gently. When they broke apart, both gasping for air and sporting very swollen lips- Tony was sure that his were bleeding- Loki cocked his head.

'Shall I teleport us, or would you rather fly?'

'Fly,' Tony answered immediately, smiling at the taller man. 'Unless your little dragon form can't keep up with me?'

Loki scowled, but it was more playful than anything, so Tony kept grinning. 'Oh, I'll show you just how _fast _I can be, Stark,' Loki growled. He bit Tony's mouth again before leaping back, right off the fucking edge of the building. Tony scrambled forward and looked down just in time to see Loki change; there was no flash of magic, no limbs shifting or changing; suddenly Loki was gone, replaced with a dragon just a bit bigger than Thor. Smoke shot from its nostrils as it rose up, Tony barely making out its shape in the ink black sky.

And then Loki wheeled around and shot through the air, heading towards Stark Tower, and Tony grinned. 'Not today, Green Eyes,' he said before shooting after Loki, his faceplate slamming down. There was no way he'd let Loki beat him in a race.

And, if he happened to win only because he shot Loki down just before the god could reach the helipad of Stark Tower, well... he certainly paid for it twenty minutes later. He was sure that he'd have the bathroom tiles imprinted into his back for all eternity, but it was _so _worth it.

* * *

**Author's Note: **This chapter felt a bit weird; more of a filler chapter before I start moving the plot along... did it feel weird to anyone else?

I made up a FrostIron playlist- just songs to help inspire me to write this story- and _Take My Hand _by Simple Plan started playing... it feels very FrostIron to me. I'm a big fan of old school Simple Plan; I don't listen to their new stuff. So... yeah, just figured I'd add some lyrics :p

Also, remember that I only have a very vague idea of where this story is going because it started as a one-shot, so I'm kind of making it up as I go along. There are a few things that I want to happen, but other than that it's more of a "let my muse go insane and write whatever the hell he wants" kind of fic. Hopefully it turns out alright :)

Cheers,

{IBegToDreamAndDiffer}


	7. Chapter Seven

**Chapter Seven**

'_Sir, I suggest that you wake. Preferably within the next fifteen seconds._'

Tony groaned and rolled over. Loki shifted beside him, muttering something that sounded like, "I will murder you if you move again", but his voice was muffled by a pillow, so Tony wasn't _quite _sure. He'd bet his suits that it was some type of threat, anyway.

'J, go 'way,' Tony grumbled. He rubbed his face against Loki's back- he was apparently using the god as a pillow, _shut up_, Loki was comfy!- and pressed a kiss to Loki's shoulder. 'Sleepin'.'

'_Sir, it's twelve twenty-three pm, and Captain Rogers is on his way up,_' JARVIS said.

Tony shot right up, sleep suddenly forgotten, and was then promptly kicked out of bed.

'Ow!' he groaned and glared up at Loki, who'd moved so he could peer at Tony over the mattress.

'I _did _warn you,' Loki said.

Okay, no; just no. Loki looked way too adorable all sleep-tousled for Tony to take him seriously.

'_Sir, Captain Rogers will reach the penthouse in twenty-one seconds_,' JARVIS chimed in.

'Fuck,' Tony groaned and jumped to his feet. 'Why are you letting him up when you know Loki's here?' he demanded.

'_You didn't explicitly order me to keep anybody out of the penthouse if Mr Lie-smith was present,_' JARVIS replied. '_And you _did _say that you wanted to be woken when Captain Rogers arrived back in the Tower, sir._'

'Don't get smart with me, JARVIS,' Tony grumbled as he went through his drawers, looking for sweats or jeans to put on over his nakedness. He eventually found boxer-briefs and tugged them on, while behind him Loki sat up and yawned.

'_I am what you made me, sir_,' JARVIS drawled, before, '_Captain Rogers is now in the penthouse, sir._'

'Fuck!' Tony turned quickly, but Loki had already changed; he was Logan, now, his hair short and blonde, the curls frizzy from sleep. He winked at Tony before sliding out of bed and waving a hand; now clad in sweats and nothing else, he strolled across the room and wrapped his arms around Tony's waist from behind, resting his chin on Tony's shoulder.

'I should stop using so much magic; Thor will be returning soon,' he murmured and pressed a kiss to Tony's neck.

'Tony?' That was Steve. _And _Tony was still half-naked. Awesome.

'Just a minute!' Tony shouted and went back to hunting for some pants. 'Lok- _Logan_, stop it!' he hissed when Loki slid a hand beneath his underwear, gripping his cock. And little Tony- figure of speech, 'cause Tony was _well-proportioned_, thank you very much- twitched in interested, which _really _wasn't helping either.

'I'm not trying to be helpful,' Loki smirked. But he gave Tony another quick kiss before stepping back, and Tony actually managed to get some jeans on before Steve appeared.

'You're actually up?' Steve said from just down the hallway. 'Huh, I thought you'd be-' He cut himself off when he glanced into the room and saw Loki- Logan, whatever. Steve had been really fucking confused the first time he'd run into one of Tony's male one-night stands, but it happened so often that he'd learned to live with it. He didn't like it- he didn't like the way Tony treated _anyone _like they were disposable- but he'd gotten used to it.

He still blushed like a twelve-year-old and hastily averted his eyes.

'Oh, um... sorry,' he murmured.

'Not a problem,' Loki smiled.

'I'll just, ah... wait in the kitchen.' Steve left before Tony could say anything, and Loki snickered into his hand.

'You're an a-hole,' Tony muttered.

'But of course,' Loki smirked. 'What did you expect?'

Tony rolled his eyes and grabbed a shirt, tugging it on as he made his way towards the door. 'Coming?' he asked over his shoulder. 'Might as well introduce boyfriend Logan as soon as possible.'

'_Partner, _Stark!' Loki hissed. 'As I told you last night; I have no wish to be called your _boyfriend_.'

'Yeah, yeah,' Tony flapped a hand. 'Come on, I'm hungry.'

'You're always hungry.'

'And who's fault is that?'

'_You're _the one who wanted the Apple.'

'SHHH!' Tony hissed, making Loki smirk.

'Captain Rogers is currently in the kitchen,' Loki said. 'He can't hear me.'

'Still,' Tony grumbled, 'you can't be too careful. Especially with Clint and Natasha around.'

'Who currently _aren't _around,' Loki commented.

'I hate you,' Tony declared and proceeded to stomp down the hallway.

'You are such a child,' Loki sighed, but was smiling as he followed. Really, Stark was so much like him it was amazing.

'Am not,' Tony shot back. Which really didn't help his argument, but whatever; he was hungry. He'd grown used to feeling half-starved over the past few days, and Tony knew that he had to watch himself when around the Avengers. Usually he'd eat one, maybe two pieces of toast for breakfast. He currently felt like eating six, but he'd just having something else when Steve left. Which reminded him; he had to put in an order for some food, and a mini fridge for the lab.

Tony made a mental note and entered the kitchen. His penthouse had been equipped with everything Tony needed; which meant a bedroom, bar, a small, personal lab for his more sensitive projects, and a kitchen. There were a few other, smaller rooms- offices and maybe a library- but Tony never used them.

Just because he _had _a kitchen didn't mean there was anything _in _the kitchen apart from some frozen pizzas, ice, and cereal. Tony liked cereal.

'Hey, Stevie,' Tony called.

The Captain was sitting at the kitchen counter, a box to his left and mug of coffee to his right. Coffee didn't really affect Steve, but he liked drinking it anyway; something about the taste making him feel more alert. Tony didn't get it. Coffee didn't really _taste _that great, Tony just liked the caffeine jolt.

'Tony,' Steve nodded, but his eyes were on Loki.

'So, you've met Logan,' Tony said and went to the coffee machine to pour himself a cup. He looked at Loki, who nodded, and poured the god one, too.

'Not properly,' Steve said. He held out his hand when Loki got closer, smile tight. 'Steve Rogers.'

Loki's left eye twitched and Tony had to bite back a snicker. The Trickster shook Steve's hand, saying, 'Logan Thomas,' before quickly dropping it. He slid onto a stool opposite Steve and smiled brightly when Tony handed him a coffee. 'Thank you, my dear.'

Tony snorted at that but didn't say a word as he sat beside Loki.

'So...' Steve hummed and looked pointedly between them.

'Yeah, Logan isn't going anywhere,' Tony said, making Steve's eyebrows jump. 'We're dating.'

'Dating,' Steve echoed, looking confused.

'I can date,' Tony pouted. 'Just ask Pepper.'

Steve sighed slightly and Tony rolled his eyes while the Captain wasn't looking. _Here we go_, he thought.

'Pepper's worried,' Steve said.

Yeah, she was always worried, nothing new there. Tony and Pepper's relationship had been strained at the best of times, but it'd taken a nose dive after Loki's invasion. Why Pepper had been surprised that Iron Man almost died during the invasion, Tony had no idea. He almost died practically every second week. If she couldn't deal with it, she shouldn't have started dating Tony in the first place.

She was still the CEO of his company, but their personal relationship was non-existent. They rarely ever talked unless Stark Industries paperwork was involved. Tony had been surprised to find that he didn't miss her all that much. Sure, Pepper was great most of the time, but the _nagging_, the, "Tony, you aren't eating properly", and, "Tony, you need sleep", and _blah, blah, blaahhhh. _She treated him like was he five. Contrary to popular belief, Tony was an adult; he _could _take care of himself. He knew his limits, knew how long he could stay up and keep working before he really needed to sleep. Pepper's constant nagging had just pissed him off. He really didn't miss that.

'So?' Tony brushed Steve's concern aside and turned to Loki. 'Want a bagel?'

'Please,' Loki nodded, and looked on curiously as Tony stood. He grabbed three plates- because sometimes he could be nice- and got a few things from the fridge; cream cheese, jelly and butter. Both Steve and Bruce liked jelly on their bagels, while Tony liked cream cheese.

Loki clearly had no idea what a bagel was, but watched Tony cut one in half and spread cream cheese over the two halves, before doing the same to his own. He chewed thoughtfully for a few seconds before trying it with butter, then jelly. He stuck to cream cheese after that, and Tony smirked; ha, Loki liked bagels like he did! For some reason it felt like an accomplishment.

Steve was clearly itching to talk about Pepper, but seemed to realise that Tony had no plans to continue the conversation. Sometimes Steve had tact, so he cleared his throat after a sip of coffee and changed the topic. 'How long have you two been... dating?'

'Few weeks,' Tony said.

'We met at a bar,' Loki said, smiling slightly at Tony. There was a mischievous glint in his eyes that Tony tried not to return; he was trying to trick Steve, after all. It wouldn't do for him to break down in a fit of giggles.

'We hit it off,' Tony shrugged, 'and I asked him out.'

'I see,' Steve said, even though he clearly didn't. Which was understandable; Tony wasn't well known for dating.

'I'm well aware of Anthony's reputation,' Loki said, drawing Steve's attention, 'but he soon found that I don't share.'

'And why would I want to?' Tony said with a grin in Loki's direction. 'You're more than enough for me, baby.'

'Of course I am,' Loki huffed, making Tony snicker.

'Tony, how long do you think you and Logan will be... together?' Steve asked slowly. Tony raised his eyebrows. Was Steve seriously asking for an expiration date on their relationship? 'Because we have some things to... discuss,' Steve finished.

Oh... _oh_. Steve wanted to talk business.

'Logan's cool,' Tony said.

'I can make myself scarce, if you wish,' Loki said right after him.

'I'm not letting Steve run you out,' Tony said, but Loki just smiled.

'I need to change, anyway,' Loki said and gestured at his clothing. He was still only wearing sweats, nothing else, and though Tony liked the view, Steve clearly felt uncomfortable. 'You two talk,' Loki said and gave Tony a kiss, Steve a sweet-smile- which was so fake Tony almost burst out laughing- before leaving.

'Well, thank you, Captain Cock-block,' Tony huffed, turning to a slightly blushing Steve. He was better with the whole "everyone has sex these days" mentality of the 21st century, but he was still a bit uncomfortable around Tony and his one-nighters. Or around Tony and men the billionaire had had sex with, really. The fact that it was Loki just made the whole thing a lot more hilarious in Tony's eyes.

'Tony, we really need to talk,' Steve said, clearly trying to make Tony see the seriousness of the situation.

'And you could have talked with Logan here,' Tony replied. 'Honestly, it's not like he was asking for SHIELD secrets.'

'Tony.'

'_Steve_.'

The super soldier sighed and rubbed his eyes. 'Tony, I heard about the Doom-bots you fought the other day.'

Ah, yes; that fight. Clint and Natasha were still in another country, Bruce was being super-secret on the Helicarrier, and Steve had just gotten to Vegas. That had left Tony and only Tony to deal with the dozen Doom-bots that a-hole Victor had let loose in Brooklyn. Tony had been a bit suspicious when everyone had suddenly jetted off to wherever the hell they were needed; usually Fury was consistent, leaving at least two Avengers in New York city. What if there'd been a massive battle? Tony was good, but he wasn't _that _good. If von Doom had let out another thirty or so bots, Tony would have gotten his ass kicked.

'I'm fine,' Tony shrugged one shoulder and sipped his coffee. 'There were only twelve or thirteen bots, and Doom wasn't anywhere to be seen. I took care of them before anyone died.' There had been a few injuries, but nothing serious.

'But some SHIELD agents reported that you played with a few of the bots before destroying them,' Steve said.

Yes, well... how else was Tony supposed to study them if he didn't watch their movements and how they were controlled? He'd even managed to get almost a whole one into his lab. One of the arms was missing, and part of the right leg, but there was enough for Tony to study.

'So?' Tony shrugged again.

'Tony,' Steve said, his voice inching towards exasperation, 'I know that you want to study them, but there were civilians in danger. One of the buildings was still full.'

'An office building,' Tony said, waving a dismissive hand. 'They got a good show.'

'The bot you were playing with broke a woman's arm!' Steve near-snapped. Ooh, he was getting angry.

'And I destroyed it before she could be hurt any further,' Tony argued. 'Come on, Steve; how often do I get a chance to actually _study _Doom's technology? His bots are just getting better and better every time we fight them. If we don't kill him soon, his bots will be perfected to match our fighting styles. Do you _want _the team to die?'

'No, I don't!' Steve groaned. 'But I'd rather get injured myself than have a civilian in the hospital. We signed up for this; they didn't.'

Yeah, _no_; Tony didn't sign up for this. He'd never wanted to play super hero. Iron Man was created to help _Tony_, not the general population. What the hell had they ever done for him? All they wanted was to read about his fuck-ups and every little thing he did during the day. The media slandered him at every opportunity and civilians lapped it up, agreeing with everything like the good little herd they were. Tony had never wanted to be a hero; he'd never wanted to be an _Avenger_.

But he'd joined forces with the others when they'd needed him; when someone far too powerful had threatened to take over _his _planet. He would have been more than happy to walk away from SHIELD and their little boy-band as soon as Loki was carted off, but _SHIELD _had been the ones who'd sent the other Avengers to live with him; Fury was the one who'd decided that it'd be just a _great _idea to try and steal Tony's technology. Apparently seeing Tony fight during the invasion had scared the Security Council enough to finally take action; now they knew without a doubt that Tony was dangerous.

They should have realised it long before Iron Man, but Tony didn't care. They'd pay.

'Whatever,' Tony muttered.

'Tony,' Steve sighed and leaned forward, arms braced on the counter, 'we're just worried.'

'Who's worried?' Tony asked. 'Fury?' He almost snorted at the thought. No, Fury would lock Tony up if he could to keep him out of the way. All Fury was worried about was Tony going insane and taking over the planet... which, now that Tony _was _planning that, was a valid worry, really.

'The team,' Steve stated.

Oh, this again. If it wasn't "Pepper's worried", then it was, "the team doesn't want you burning yourself out". Really, Steve couldn't be more obvious if he painted it on his forehead; Fury didn't want Tony on the team.

'Yeah, okay,' Tony laughed and stood to get more coffee. He jammed the rest of his bagel into his mouth, ignoring the disgusted look on Steve's face.

'Honestly, Tony, we're worried,' Steve continued now that Tony's mouth was full. Tony rolled his eyes at the coffee maker. 'You've been locking yourself in your lab more often, and in fights you're always all over the place. Maybe you should take a break.'

Swallowing thickly, Tony said, 'And, what? Let Doom's bots rampage around New York?' He shook his head. 'If Fury didn't want me fighting, then he shouldn't have left me in the city alone.'

'It's not Fury,' Steve tried.

'Uh-huh,' Tony murmured. Steve was the most obvious pawn in Fury's little game. Clint and Natasha were trained spies; assassins. Tony wouldn't have known what they were up to if he hadn't hacked into SHIELD's database. Steve? Steve outed himself the moment he started insisting that Tony take a break.

"Just a week or two, Tony."

"Go back to Malibu for a while."

"Get some rest."

"We'll take care of the Tower."

Ha, ha. Like Tony would leave the Avengers alone in _his _Tower. Fury would be in before Tony's car left the street.

Tony wasn't sure if Steve knew everything about Fury's plan; he wasn't sure if Steve knew that Fury wanted to get his hands on Iron Man and throw Tony in the gutter. But it didn't matter. Steve was still following Fury's orders. He'd still agreed to try and get Tony to quit the team. The two weren't friends, but Tony _had _thought that they were team mates. He hadn't thought that Steve would want him gone.

'We're just worried,' Steve tried again.

'Mm-hmm,' Tony muttered and turned. 'Steve, I'm fine. Really.' He wanted to shout and scream and throw his coffee in Steve's face; _nobody _fucked Tony around and got away with it. But there was a bigger picture here; Steve wasn't who Tony should concern himself with. He needed to stay on the team long enough to get all the information he and Loki needed. 'How about I take a break now that you're back, huh?' he suggested. Maybe that'd make Steve back off a bit. 'Unless I'm absolutely needed, I'll let you handle all emergencies, okay?'

Steve smiled slightly at that, and Tony bit back a sneer. Asshole.

'That's good, Tony,' Steve nodded. 'Maybe you and... Logan, could go do something? Just relax.'

'Yeah, sounds fun,' Tony gave Steve a fake smile.

Loki, thankfully, chose that moment to re-enter the kitchen, now wearing dark-wash jeans and a green sweater. Damn, he was one sexy god.

Loki raised an eyebrow at the sudden silence that had fallen, and swept his pale-blue eyes over Tony. 'Am I interrupting anything?' he asked, clearly sensing the decline in Tony's mood.

'Nope; me and Stevie are done,' Tony said. 'Hey, Lo', wanna see my lab?' He wiggled his eyebrows, mostly because that's what Steve expected; he expected Tony to drag Loki downstairs and fuck him. He didn't expect Tony to show Loki a new project that he'd thought up the night before.

'I need to get back to work soon, but yes,' Loki inclined his head.

'What do you do?' Steve asked, ever the interested little boy-scout.

'I'm a writer,' Loki lined, turning to smile at Steve. 'I'm yet to be published, but I enjoy the art.'

Writer, huh. Good cover story. SHIELD wouldn't be able to disprove it, and Tony had already made it look like Logan Thomas came from a fairly wealthy family; he'd been living off of his inheritance since he turned twenty-one.

'Yeah, lovely chat, let's go,' Tony said and threaded his arm through Loki's. Loki dragged him towards the counter and grabbed two bagels before letting Tony lead him from the kitchen. They were silent as they walked, Tony only groaning when were alone in the lift. 'Fucking asshole,' he growled.

'Mm, I'm inclined to agree,' Loki said.

'Were you listening?' Tony asked, turning to see a smirk spread across Loki's face.

'Thor won't be back for a few days,' Loki explained. 'Any spells I use, as long as they are small, won't be detected by him. I can see why you dislike the Captain; he's rather tedious.'

'He's an asshole,' Tony repeated.

'Does he know that Fury wants your suits?' Loki asked.

'I have no idea,' Tony shrugged. 'But he's still trying to get me to quit. If he doesn't know, then Fury no doubt spun some tale about me being a danger to myself and others. Steve's handy in a fight, and he's loyal, but he follows orders when they make sense to him.'

'Orders,' Loki snorted. 'Why listen to someone else when you can set your own path?'

'And that, Lo',' Tony said as the elevator doors opened, 'is why I'm sleeping with you and not Steve.'

Loki froze at that, and Tony turned to look at him.

'Lokes?'

'You wish to sleep with the Captain?' Loki demanded.

'What?' Tony laughed. 'God, no.'

'You said-'

'He's good-looking, yeah,' the genius interrupted, 'but it'd be like sleeping with... with Thor! Big, blonde and good aren't really my thing, especially when it comes to men.' He stepped back, closer to Loki, and smiled at him. 'I prefer my men tall, lean, and fucking insane.'

Loki finally cracked a smile and followed Tony down the hallway. They entered his lab and Tony said, 'J, lock down the lab, yeah? No one in unless you pass it by me first.'

'_Yes, sir_,' JARVIS responded.

'Has SHIELD tried to crack into anything today?' Tony asked as he moved about, shifting this and that, leaving Loki to take a seat at one of the tables.

'_Two attempts today, Mr Stark_,' JARVIS answered. '_SHIELD seems to be concentrating on your mental health this week_.'

'Ah,' Tony grimaced. That meant that Steve- or someone else- would be suggesting another visit to SHIELD's doctors. Honestly, every ten seconds someone from SHIELD wanted to crack his skull open. 'Hey, Loki, can someone tell that I'm a god now from my blood or anything?' Tony asked, turning to face Loki.

Loki had been playing with a holographic monitor- he'd taken to the internet like a teenager- but looked up at Tony's question. 'Pardon?'

'You know how doctors work on Midgard, right?' Tony questioned. 'Like, how we take blood and tissue samples, etc...'

'I'm vaguely familiar with your healers' ways, yes,' Loki nodded. 'I couldn't discuss it with you in detail, however.'

'Will me being immortal show up in my blood, or any scan?' Tony asked.

Loki frowned at that and tilted his head, thinking. 'I believe that your blood may show some abnormalities, yes,' he finally said. 'The Apples change your metabolism and the way your body reacts to pain, toxins, food and drink. However, unless SHIELD compared your blood to Thor's, or my own, they wouldn't automatically assume that you are now a god. Thor believes Iðunn's Apples to be secure. And while the garden is, the Apples left in bowls throughout Asgard are not. Thor would have no reason to believe that you are now like him.'

'Hmm,' Tony hummed and turned to face his own screen.

'A very thorough look at your body would reveal the changes,' Loki continued. 'The Apple healed a lot of the damage done to your body by age, alcohol and battle. Those changes would show up on whatever in-depth tests you Midgardians use.'

'I got it,' Tony nodded. 'Don't let them get my blood; don't let them cut me open or scan me.'

'You will also have to watch yourself in battle,' Loki added. 'It will take a lot to hurt you, and any small injuries you suffer- such as bruises and cuts- will heal within a few minutes or hours depending on the severity. That may draw attention.'

'Maybe I can tell them I'm fucking with Extremis,' Tony mused. SHIELD had swiped most of the information, but Tony had, of course, kept his own copies. He'd already been looking into making himself semi-immortal before Loki offered him a Golden Apple.

'Extremis?' Loki asked, looking curious.

Tony grinned and pulled up the information before flicking it over to Loki's monitor. Loki blinked at the sudden information now scrolling before him before smiling broadly.

'I really do love your technology,' he commented. 'You are so far ahead of others in your field.'

'Duh,' Tony snorted. 'You should see what they do when I walk into an Apple store.'

Loki had no idea what Apple was, so Tony pulled up the Wikipedia page. After that he and the god fell into discussion after discussion of Midgardian technology, and what other Realms used instead.

Tony made a note to visit some of those Realms when SHIELD was taken care of. A Dwarf was something he just _had _to see.


	8. Chapter Eight

**Chapter Eight**

'I keep telling you that it'll be easier for me to find _my _magic if I can _detect _magic first!'

'And _I _keep telling you that it's much easier to sample your own magic before others!'

Tony growled in frustration and ran a hand through his hair. Opposite him, Loki tapped repeatedly at the table-top, long fingers itching to wrap around Tony's neck, the inventor knew. They'd been discussing this for _hours_. Well, they'd been arguing for hours, in all honesty. But Tony hadn't had an argument this intelligent and clever in... ever.

Bruce came the closest, of course. But despite his excellent anger management skills, even Bruce couldn't deal with Tony for more than five hours without needing to step out. Loki had a much better handle on his emotions, and could fight Tony with just as many vicious words. And there was heavy flirting involved. Despite how much Tony loved Bruce, he had no interest in sleeping with jolly green.

Two of their "discussions" had already led to Tony bent over a work bench, Loki taking him from behind; the second involved Loki, Tony's mouth, and creative use of olive oil. Why Tony had olive oil down here was anyone's guess. _Loki's _guess- wild imagination, really- had almost led to round three, but despite Tony's recent consumption of a magical apple, his libido hadn't yet increased. Loki had said it would, give or take a week or three.

_Five rounds a night with Loki... _Tony daydreamed as Loki sighed and slammed his palm against the table.

'Stark!'

'Yes, my love?' Tony quipped, earning a rather vicious glare. It was part vicious, part amused; Tony was learning how to tell the difference.

'If you can _feel _magic, you have a much higher chance of detecting it with your... toys,' Loki said.

Tony scowled. 'First of all, these aren't _toys_, they're works of sheer brilliance!'

'Really?' Loki questioned and looked at DUM-E, who was currently trying to...

'DUM-E, stop that!' Tony ordered.

The bot immediately dropped the fire extinguisher and backed away from Tony, arm dangling and a soft, dejected whirring noise escaping its claw.

'I swear to all that is Holy you have an unnatural love of fire extinguishers!' Tony snapped, which of course just made DUM-E whine that much more pathetically. 'Never again, DUM, never again!' Tony growled.

'I like him,' Loki mused, looking far too happy about the situation. 'Especially after he blasted you.'

Yeah... DUM-E seemed to confuse "on fire" and "grabbing olive oil" as the same thing. He'd showered Tony in foul, sticky white-foam just before round two with Loki.

'Look,' Tony tried _again _to get his point across, 'even if I learn to... to _detect _magic myself, that won't help me with my scanners. You said that detecting magic is a _feeling_, like someone detecting a small electric current going through their body.' Loki nodded. 'How the hell am I supposed to _describe _that to my computers?' Tony questioned. 'They've never had magic run through them, at least not to my knowledge, unless you've been zapping my shit while I was getting changed.'

Loki muttered something under his breath in another language, and Tony's eyes narrowed. 'Hey, we speak English in this lab!' he ordered. 'Sometimes other languages, but only to swear.'

'I was swearing,' Loki admitted, throwing a small smile Tony's way. 'If you have magic I shall gift you with the All-Speak, it will make life much easier.'

'And if I don't have magic?' Tony asked. 'If I can't "harness it" or whatever the hell you said?'

'Than it will be extremely dangerous,' Loki answered. 'It's a magic that works quickly, but it can destroy a weak mind. Your mind, however, is far from weak.'

'Duh,' Tony rolled his eyes.

'The ego on you,' Loki muttered.

'Pot, meet kettle,' Tony retorted.

'I have no idea what that means,' Loki said, but moved on swiftly. 'Fine, build your little machine.'

'Are you going to help?' Tony asked.

Loki sighed, like Tony had just asked the Trickster to bring him the Statue of Liberty. Although, knowing Loki, he'd do it just for shits and giggles. 'Fine,' Loki drawled, 'what would you have me do?'

'Okay,' Tony immediately bounced to his feet, excitement coursing through him. He'd tried to build scanners in the past, ever since the Chitauri invasion and Loki's re-appearance on Earth, but he hadn't been having much luck. His scanners only worked over a certain range, and Loki had never conveniently attacked in Tony's lab. Now, Tony had his very own magician, offering to help. He was being a dick about it, but still; Tony had expected that. 'Just go stand over there,' Tony said and waved to the one free wall. There were cars to the left, tables and Iron Man suits to the right, as well as whatever projects Tony was half-working on.

Loki stood gracefully- 'cause he was a bitch and always amazing- and briskly strolled across to the area Tony had pointed to. Tony quickly rushed around the lab, grabbing the various magic detectors he'd been working on. A few were as large as a microwave, others as small as a pistol. Tony had never had a test subject so wasn't sure if they'd work. He'd find out now.

'What must I do?' Loki asked again as Tony set everything up on the closest work bench.

'Just stand there until I tell you to do a spell,' Tony said. 'DUM-E, PUT THAT DOWN!' The little fucker had gone for the fire extinguisher again, and quickly rolled away when Tony threw a spanner at him. 'You sit in your dock and think about what you've done, young man!' Tony ordered.

'You amuse me,' Loki said, a soft smile on his lips. Huh, no joking there; he was serious.

'Glad to be of service, Your Highness,' Tony bowed from the waist down. Loki chuckled. 'Okay...' Tony muttered to himself as he turned everything on, trying to attune each scanner to Loki. 'We'll start small. Give me a very easy spell.'

Loki held his right palm out and in seconds a small, green ball of magic appeared, swirling various shades of green and black. Tony quickly pounced on his scanners, twisting this, pressing that, while Loki just waited, looking incredibly bored.

'Nothing,' Tony growled. 'Okay, give me something big.'

Loki grinned.

'Don't destroy my lab!' Tony snapped, making Loki pout. 'Not only is this my special place, but Steve's in the Tower.'

'You annoy me,' Loki muttered, (Tony pouted, he wasn't amusing anymore?) but then Loki shimmered, and suddenly there were five Lokis instead of one.

Tony blinked. 'Huh.'

'See something you like, Mr Stark?' Loki queried.

'Yeah...' Tony hummed. He shifted a bit, because _hello_. Loki orgy, that's what this was.

'Perhaps round three?' Loki asked, taking a step forward, followed by the other Lokis doing the same.

'Hey, wait, _no_!' Tony snapped, holding a hand out. The Lokis stopped. 'Bit more magic, alright?'

'Very well,' Loki drawled, 'however I've never been known for my patience.'

The Loki to the furthest right ran a hand down his chest, stopping just above his jeans.

Tony swallowed but focused on his scanners. Fucking Loki... _s_.

{oOo}

Seventeen hours later and Tony had had _no _luck whatsoever. No matter what spell Loki cast, whether simple or complicated, Tony's scanners just failed to pick it up. There were readings from Tony's workshop, from Tony's reactor- hell, even Loki's _heartbeat _had shown up on one- as well as background radiation from the world in general. But magic? No. There was absolutely no readings to suggest that Tony could detect magic.

It pissed him off to no end, but Loki let him take out his frustrations in a highly pleasurable way that left them gasping and covered in sweat, curled up on the sofa in the far corner of the lab. The thing was falling apart- Tony had had it for at least twenty years- but it was comfortable when needed.

Loki stretched- all graceful, _jerk_- and then flopped back onto the very tight space, one arm thrown sloppily over Tony's waist. 'Hnn,' Loki murmured, nuzzling Tony's chest, fingers tracing the arc reactor. 'I _do _enjoy your temper.'

'Yeah, yeah,' Tony muttered, but only because he agreed. He wouldn't let Loki win _every _argument, after all.

'Will you allow me to teach you magic, now?' Loki asked.

Tony sighed. 'Give me two weeks, okay? Two weeks of trying to refine my scanners.' It was Loki's turn to sigh. 'Either I can detect magic or can't. Either way, you still get to teach me,' Tony said.

'Thor will be back by then,' Loki reminded the human. 'He will be able to detect magic if I help you locate it.'

'He'll detect it if I keep scanning for magic,' Tony retorted. 'Either way, we're fucked.'

'We'll have to move somewhere else,' Loki mused. 'My apartment, perhaps? There's no reason for Thor to visit Logan Thomas.'

'Yeah, maybe,' Tony murmured, eyes somewhere on the ceiling. JARVIS had dimmed the lights, and the glass walls of the lab were currently white-washed, hiding the two from view. While Tony didn't care if anyone caught them basking in post-coital bliss, he didn't need Steve seeing Loki. And Tony really, _really _liked fucking Loki over Logan, so...

They fell into silence for a bit; Tony staring at the ceiling, Loki tracing the scars around his arc reactor that the Apple couldn't fix. 'You are thinking,' Loki stated, rather than asked.

'Yeah,' Tony admitted. 'I just got an idea, is all.'

'Aren't you full of ideas?'

'Oh, yeah,' Tony repeated, this time with a smirk. 'It'll benefit both of us if it works. But I gotta fucking figure _magic _out.'

'Would you like to try again?' Loki asked.

Tony sighed. 'JARVIS, time?'

'_Three forty am, sir_,' JARVIS replied.

'You tired or hungry?' Tony asked.

'Famished,' Loki admitted and sat, Tony following.

'Steve'll be asleep. He keeps regular hours,' Tony said, unable to hide the disdain in his voice. Honestly, what super hero kept _decent _hours? It was absurd!

'Shall we order in?' Loki asked. 'Or is there enough food in the Tower?'

'Should be in the Avengers' kitchen,' Tony said. While the Avengers all had their own floors in the Tower, they usually congregated in Steve's kitchen. Steve was a decent cook- apparently his mama had taught him right or some such bullshit- so Steve's fridge and cupboards were always packed. 'Unless you had your heart set on something?'

'Oh, Anthony,' Loki chuckled as he stood, completely naked and unashamed. Tony leered, 'cause he was a pervert and could admit it. 'Haven't you heard?' Loki continued. 'I don't have a heart. And if I do, it's encased in ice.'

Tony frowned. Okay, that was _so _not true. Whoever had told Loki that- probably Thor or the All-Daddy- had probably said it when Loki had blown something up. The problem, Tony had quickly realised, was that Loki felt too deeply. Someone capable of that much anger, that much _hurt_, also felt all the good feelings ten times as strongly as the average person- Frost Giant, whatever. Loki loved with all his heart, when he gave it away. That was the problem. He'd loved his father and brother so much that he'd considered wiping out an entire realm just to prove how devoted he was.

And he'd been stabbed in the back.

Tony sighed and swung his legs over the sofa, only flinching slightly when his feet met the cold floor. He reached up and wrapped an arm around Loki's waist, dragging the god between his spread legs. Rather than turn it into something sexy, which Tony usually did, he instead pressed his lips against Loki's belly before burying his face there.

'Not true, Lo',' he murmured, voice soft. 'One day I'll prove that to you.'

Loki clearly had no idea what to say to that. He froze, arms hanging limply at his sides, before- after at least two minutes of an awkward hug/grope- he threaded his fingers through Tony's hair.

When he spoke, his tone matched Tony's; warm, soft, with an emotion that neither were willing to admit to, not so soon in their relationship. For now, things were good; things were comfortable. No need to complicate it yet.

Damn, had it only been a week?

'We should eat.'

'Mm,' Tony nodded, but didn't move.

'Stark.' Loki tugged on Tony's hair a bit.

'Yeah, yeah,' Tony grunted. He kissed Loki's tummy again, then gave it a nip just 'cause, which made Loki chuckle and shove his head away. The two stood and started dressing, Loki actually using his hands and not magic. 'So, food?' Tony said.

'I feel like noodles,' Loki decided, sweeping his hair back, but leaving it messy.

'I think Steve has a wok,' Tony said. 'You know how to use one of those?'

'Unlike Thor, I can follow direction,' Loki replied. 'If your JARVIS can talk me through it, then I shall have no problem.'

'Hear that, J?' Tony said as he and Loki walked towards the doors.

'_Indeed, Mr Stark_,' JARVIS said. '_Let us hope that Mr Lie-Smith is a better cook than Master Odinson._'

Loki snorted and Tony said, 'I'm pretty sure Loki can heat up poptarts without blowing up the toaster.'

'Of course he did, stupid oaf,' Loki muttered under his breath. As soon as the windows of the lab went clear, Loki shifted into Logan. Tony sighed at the loss of Loki's bright green eyes and jet black hair, but just led the god to the elevator. After they ate they could retire to Tony's room, and Tony would get his Loki back.

_Huh_, Tony mused. _Since when did he become _my _Loki?_

He shook his head as the elevator doors closed. Food now, self-reflection later.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Two notes, because a few readers brought up some questions in reviews/comments.

1) Neither Thor 2 or Iron Man 3 have happened in this universe. I've seen Thor 2, I haven't seen Iron Man 3, but neither apply here. Loki escaped about two months into his incarceration, and he and Tony will be discussing it later in the story. Extremis is mentioned because it appears in the comics, and I wanted to have something else that Tony and SHIELD fight about.

2) The rating for this story is "M" or "Mature" due to the graphic violence coming up in later chapters. I have no plans to write graphic sex; I'll only hint at it, or write the before/after. However, if you WANT me to write graphic smut, then I can. I enjoy writing it, and a lot of people enjoy reading it. So let me know what you want, I'm good either way.

Cheers,

{Dreamer}


	9. Chapter Nine

**Chapter Nine**

* * *

"_All the friends I've lost and the pain I've caused_

_Have never been enough just to make me stop_

_The lines I draw to look at myself_

_Are turning into somebody else"_

– _Takes Me Nowhere [The Offspring]_

* * *

Tony was woken by the bed jolting beneath him. He sat upright, blinking blearily, hand ruffling his already messy hair. A soft chuckle made Tony turn, and he frowned when he realised that Loki was standing by the bed back in his leather garb. The horned helmet, chest and arm plates were gone, but his black leather pants, thick boots, and green tunic where hugging his lean form.

'What're you doin'?' Tony mumbled through a yawn.

'Despite what you may think, the world does _not _revolve around you, even Midgard,' Loki informed him. Tony scowled. 'I have business to attend to, Stark,' Loki continued. 'Business that cannot simply wait because of... us.'

'Oh,' Tony murmured. Right, he knew that. Loki was a super villain with super villain-y things to do. 'When will you be back?' he asked, yawning again.

Loki pursed his lips before saying, 'Two or three days, give or take. I must visit another realm and stay overnight, and I have to check on von Doom and ensure that he's keeping to our bargain.'

'Bargain?' Tony perked up. 'With Doom?'

'You did not think that you were the first to offer me a deal, did you?' Loki asked in amusement.

'You said you don't make deals with mortals,' Tony pouted. 'And here I thought I was special.'

Loki chuckled and climbed onto the bed, only far enough to lean over and kiss Tony softly. 'You are,' he whispered, making Tony shiver. 'However, what Victor and I have is nowhere close to what you and I have. I made Victor promise, on pain of death, that he would keep his activities away from this city. Sometimes I let him have his fun; mostly when I'm bored.'

''Course you do,' Tony snorted.

Loki smiled sweetly, and Tony snickered. 'The villains of this planet know better than to touch what's mine,' Loki said.

'And are the Avengers yours?' Tony questioned.

'Yes,' Loki answered without hesitation. 'You were formed to fight me, and fight me you have. If anybody kills your team mates, it will be me.'

'They aren't _my _team mates,' Tony grumbled, scratching at his beard.

'They are until our plans come to fruition,' Loki stated. He kissed Tony again and stood, the human sighing and watching. 'I'll... call you,' Loki said, the words sounding odd on his tongue. 'Thor will most likely be back before I am, and I have no wish for our partnership to be terminated so swiftly... or at all, in all honesty.'

'S'cause I'm lovable,' Tony said, giving Loki a cheeky smile. The god, of course, rolled his eyes.

'Until next time, Stark,' he said, a genuine smile on his face.

Tony smiled back, and then sighed when Loki teleported away, not a puff of smoke being left behind. Tony wondered if Loki only left smoke when he _wanted _people to be aware of his entrance or exit. It was like his shapeshifting; Tony had seen it maybe twice in battle, and there was always a few seconds of shifting, of limbs lengthening, before Loki did whatever it was he did. But when he'd been a dragon? Nothing; just Loki one second, a dragon the next.

_Nobody knows what he's truly capable of, Man of Iron_.

Those were Thor's words, said over and over again after every battle the Avengers had with Loki. Not even that all-seeing dude in the sky- Harmdel? Himdal?- knew what Loki could do. Tony wasn't surprised; Loki had spent his entire life, all one-thousand-something years, being made fun of. Of course he'd keep his skills to himself.

Of course, Thor's bullying didn't help, Tony thought. There was no doubt in Tony's mind that Thor _did _love his brother. But he loved the Loki that the Trickster had projected to Asgard for who knows how many hundreds of years; the Loki that smiled when needed, who gave advice when ordered, who had Asgard and her people's best interests at heart. Thor didn't love the _real _Loki; the broken, disgraced, dark Jötunn mage who would stab you if you betrayed him.

That wasn't "Loki" according to Thor. That was a dark, confused individual whom his brother had become. Tony really thought that Thor should just go home and leave Loki alone; forget about his long-lost brother and stop trying to _change _him. Loki would never be the person that Thor had once known. The sooner Thor accepted that, the better.

_Oh, well_, Tony thought as he pulled himself from bed. _Thor's just another idiot warrior. Me and Loki should really send him back to Asgard_. Tony spent his entire shower happily daydreaming about getting all of the Avengers trapped in the realm of the gods. He could only imagine Steve's horror at not being the most loyal good boy in the realm. It made him snicker.

{oOo}

'Heard you got yourself a boyfriend,' was what greeted Tony when he entered the kitchen on Steve's floor.

His eyebrows climbed when he noted that not only was Clint back, but Natasha and Bruce were, too. Bruce was slumped over the kitchen table, a large mug of tea gripped in his hands. Natasha was eating something- pancakes or waffles, Tony didn't care enough to look- while Clint was eating bacon and eggs.

'Any food left?' Tony asked instead of answering the archer, who chuckled into his plate.

'On the stove,' Steve spoke up from where he was going through the fridge; he kept his sauces cold, Tony didn't understand the man.

'Cool,' Tony said. He made himself up a plate, 'cause he really was starving. But he'd noted the night before that his hunger wasn't nearly as large as it had been directly after he'd eaten the Apple; he still ate more than he used to, but he didn't feel the need to shovel copious amounts of food down his throat every hour. Loki _had _said that the affects of the Apple would taper off between one and two weeks, and Tony was happy to note that he'd been telling the truth. It would be hard enough to keep his and Loki's relationship from the Avengers without him gorging himself every few hours.

'So?' Clint spoke again when Tony had taken a seat. He'd considered just leaving; he _really _didn't want to hang out with his so-called "friends". But you never know what you might hear; what you might be able to use against someone. So Tony sat.

'So what?' he asked, chewing on a piece of bacon.

'Boyfriend?' Clint repeated, making Tony roll his eyes. 'I knew you liked a little dick, Stark, but since when do you _date_?'

'Clint,' Natasha sighed and prodded her not-boyfriend in the ribs.

'What? You can't say you're not surprised, Tash,' Clint said.

Natasha looked at Tony. 'Still, it's none of our business,' she stated.

Tony nearly laughed. Yeah, just like his suits were none of her business; his mental health was none of her business; his _technology _was none of her fucking business. It didn't stop her from trying to get it, though.

'Logan's smart, hot, and fucks me all over the penthouse,' Tony said, making Steve wrinkle his nose and Bruce snort from opposite him. 'Why not date him?'

'How long'll this last, do you reckon?' Clint asked. 'Hey, anyone wanna bet me?'

'Clint,' Steve frowned.

'Whatever,' Clint huffed. But he went back to his food, leaving an awkward silence hanging in the kitchen.

Tony really didn't want to talk about his relationship with "Logan". At least, not without Loki here. Loki had the ability to twist absolutely every conversation in his favour. And while Tony could do that, too, Natasha was rather hard to bullshit to. She'd been trained from childhood to root out problems and act accordingly. Tony didn't want to risk giving himself and Loki away. Besides, she probably expected him to be a bit insecure about a new relationship and try to change the subject.

'How was Istanbul?' Tony asked.

Clint snorted. 'Not even close.'

'Istanbul, China, same difference,' Tony flapped a hand. 'Kill anyone interesting?'

'Strictly reconnaissance, Stark,' Natasha said.

'Sure,' Tony hummed, and threw an exaggerated wink in her direction. Natasha clearly wasn't amused. But then, she never was. 'Brucie, I know that you'll tell me plenty of fun science stories,' Tony rounded on his science bro, who cracked a smile.

'Nothing overly interesting, I'm afraid,' he stated. 'Just a few things that SHIELD wanted me to look at.'

Tony knew that Bruce was working on top-secret shit that SHIELD _really _didn't want Tony Stark seeing, and he was sure that Fury had told Bruce to lie to him. So he raised an eyebrow to see what Bruce would do; hint at the truth, or blow him off.

Bruce glanced at Natasha and Clint, both of whom had their eyes on the table, and then looked back at Tony, giving him a _look_.

Tony knew there was a reason that Bruce was his favourite; he never lied if it wasn't absolutely needed.

'You wound me, Bruce!' Tony fake pouted, a hand going to his chest. 'No fun stories? No explosions?'

'I know how to keep my workplace safe,' Bruce said with a smile.

'So do I,' Tony frowned.

'Yes, but you _really _like explosions,' Bruce said.

Tony grinned. 'Yeah, you got me; explosions were cool when I was ten, and they're cool now.'

'What's the difference between you then and you now?' Clint decided to comment, smirking at Tony.

Tony just flipped him off. His relationship with Clint had always been like this, but Tony was under no illusions; most of the time (about 99.8% of the time), Clint thought very, _very _little of Tony. Tony, to Clint, was a narcissistic asshole who threw money around and expected everybody to cater to his ever whim. And okay, so while Tony _did _do that, that wasn't all he was. He tipped the little people, he made sure that his employees got paid properly and had proper health care. He _saved _people on a weekly basis.

Tony supposed that his attitude towards Loki didn't help. Whenever Loki did something, Tony couldn't help but make a comment; about how funny Loki's pranks were, how he got why the god did some of what he did, how he understood Loki's past better than any of the others could. Clint wanted Loki dead, preferably by his own hand. Tony had always, and would always, sympathise with Loki. It put them at each other's throats as soon as the invasion was over.

Tony's change in relationship with Loki would just make his relationship with Clint that much more volatile. Not that Tony cared; after Steve, Clint was Tony's least favourite Avenger. Or maybe it was Thor. Or Natasha. It changed on a daily basis depending what kind of mood Tony was in. Bruce was definitely his favourite.

'Brucie, wanna come do science?' Tony asked, giving the doctor his largest puppy eyes.

Bruce chuckled. 'I'd love to, Tony, but I really need some sleep. I'm assuming that you'll still be up in about nine or ten hours?' Tony nodded. 'I'll join you then,' Bruce finished.

'Awesome,' Tony said. He scraped the last of his eggs from his plate and stood, tossing it and his fork in the sink.

'Tony, make sure you come up for lunch,' Steve lectured as Tony made to leave, 'you don't eat enough.'

Tony had eaten more in the past four days than he had in the weeks before. But Steve didn't need to know that.

'Just order me a pizza and let me know when it's here,' Tony said. 'Or better yet, send Bruce; I don't like leaving during a science binge.'

Steve sighed at that, but Tony was already out the door. When Bruce was exhausted, as he'd just been, he'd sleep more than nine hours. Tony was probably looking at fifteen to twenty uninterrupted. Well, if Steve and the Wonder Twins didn't interrupt him. That meant that he could work on his new suits.

JARVIS was very, very good at controlling the suits that Tony wasn't in, and he was completely loyal to Tony. With his and Loki's upcoming takeover, they'd need all the help they could get, even with Tony's new god-status. So why not make twenty or thirty Iron Man look-a-likes that could serve Tony and Loki in battle?

Tony would paint them green and gold, merging his and Loki's colour scheme together. The media would think that Loki had sided with Doom, and Tony would be free to attack and destroy as many SHIELD bases and agents as he could get his hands on.

Tony grinned as he walked into his workshop. 'J, how are you going with that list?'

'_I have discovered six SHIELD bases so far, sir,_' JARVIS informed him. '_However, my research shows that there are at least thirty-two, some in other countries_.'

'What countries do you think?' Tony asked.

'_Are you asking me to guess, Mr Stark?_' JARVIS asked.

Tony chuckled. 'You don't guess, you deduce. So hurry along, Sherlock.'

'_Very well, sir_,' JARVIS replied, sounding exasperated. He usually was around Tony. '_By my calculations, there will be bases in the following countries; the United Kingdom, Australia, Japan, Iraq, and Switzerland._'

'Switzerland?' Tony laughed.

'_Yes, sir_,' JARVIS said.

'That doesn't sound funny to you?' Tony asked.

'_I was not programmed to feel humour, sir._'

'Well you sure find it funny when I trip over something after three days down here,' Tony said.

'_I am only looking out for your well-being,_' JARVIS said, sounding highly offended.

Tony snickered. 'JARVIS, make the walls white.' JARVIS did as asked. 'DUM-E, I swear to fucking god you stay away from that goddamn fire extinguisher!' DUM-E had been slowly creeping around the workshop, but quickly whirled its disappointment and disappeared behind the car Tony had brought in to work on. 'J, some tunes. Give me... my AC/DC, Black Sabbath, and Red Hot Chilli Peppers playlist. Also, throw in that song by George Thorogood.'

Music started playing immediately, set on "ear shattering", and Tony grinned as he grabbed at a holographic screen.

_On the night I arrived, my daddy said, "Sake's Alive!" it's the meanest one that we've had yet. Teethed on tin and weaned on gin, I was nobody's teacher's pet._

Tony sang under his breath as he moved about, changing this and that on the platoon of suits he was building. JARVIS would inform him of anyone trying to get into the workshop, but he didn't expect anyone for a couple of hours yet.

Tony easily fell into his work, and even his music began to white out as he focused completely on the creations beneath his fingers. SHIELD wouldn't know what hit them.

{oOo}

Tony worked on his new suit designs for a good seventeen hours- with a break for pizza, because Steve was more overbearing than the mother from _Everybody Loves Raymond_- followed by another few hours doing science with Bruce. Tony took a short break for more food, caught a nap in bed, and then headed back down to perfect the new machine guns he was gonna build onto the shoulder of every JARVIS-powered suit. They were tentatively dubbed Phoenix X's (because Tony found it funny; his deal with Loki was like being reborn) and Tony wanted to make sure they were as perfect as possible in the planning stages before he started assembling them.

He'd just finished adding some changes when his personal StarkPhone rang, and Tony eyed the thing like it was about to explode. Pepper and the Avengers only ever called him; everything else, business included, usually went through JARVIS.

Tony grabbed the cell, which was sitting atop a pile of paperwork that Fury had insisted he complete about a month ago, and glanced at the caller ID. "Withheld number".

'Well, this should be fun,' the genius commented before swiping his thumb along the touch-screen. 'Hello?'

'_Stark_,' Loki practically purred, and Tony shivered slightly.

'How'd you get this number?'

The god chuckled. '_I _did _say that I'd call._'

'Right,' Tony hummed. 'So-'

'_Sir, Master Odinson has returned,_' JARVIS interrupted.

'Huh, looks like Big Brother's back,' Tony told Loki.

'_Lovely,_' Loki drawled, and Tony could imagine the scowl he was no doubt wearing. '_Just in time, too._'

'In time for what?' Tony questioned.

'_My talk with Victor didn't go as I had planned,_' Loki explained. '_It seems that he no longer wants to play by my rules._'

'Oh?'

'_He's reacted rather... violently,_' Loki said. '_There are bots everywhere, and I don't doubt that the mortals occupying this neighbourhood have reported it. SHIELD should be here soon._'

'Where the hell are you?' Tony asked, already heading for the doors. If there were Doom-bots everywhere, then SHIELD _would _get involved; meaning that the Avengers, plus Tony, would get involved, too.

'_Somewhere near New York; I haven't bothered to learn what you people label every single state_,' Loki said.

Tony opened his mouth, but before he could respond the elevator door before him slid open, revealing Steve.

'Tony, Coulson just called,' Steve said. 'Apparently Doom's been working out of a warehouse in New Jersey; there are Doom-bots everywhere, and they're attacking buildings.'

'Fucking New Jersey,' Tony grunted. 'Right, I'm coming.'

Steve stepped back, letting Tony into the elevator.

As the doors slid shut, Tony said into the phone, 'Sorry, Logan, gotta run. Hero stuff, you know.'

'_Oh, how inconvenient,_' Loki drawled. '_And here I was hoping to explore what I believe is called "phone sex" with you._'

Tony groaned softly, making Steve raise his eyebrows. 'Can always try later, babe,' he said.

'_But I'm free later_,' Loki said. '_Why not come to you in person?_'

'Ah... yeah, that sounds better,' Tony decided. 'I'll call you after this hero business, 'kay?'

'_Very well,_' Loki responded. '_If that oaf's back, I'll have to watch myself._'

'Yeah,' Tony agreed. The elevator stopped, followed by the doors opening, and Tony could see Clint and Natasha on the helipad outside, no doubt waiting for someone to turn up with a quinjet. Honestly, it'd save time if they just kept one at the Tower. Then again, SHIELD knew that Tony would probably fiddle with it. 'Gotta go, babe. Seeya later.'

'_See you soon, Stark_,' Loki responded before hanging up.

Tony tossed his StarkPhone onto the closest sofa and headed for the balcony. 'So...' Steve commented as they walked, 'this thing with Logan is serious?'

'Yup,' was Tony's only answer. He wasn't about to discuss his relationship with "Logan"; again, he'd rather do it while Loki was present. Steve was already wearing his spangly outfit, and stopped to stand with Natasha and Clint. Bruce was nowhere to be seen, neither was Thor.

'Thor went ahead and took Bruce,' Natasha informed him when Tony passed them. 'It sounded like the Hulk was needed.'

'Whatever,' Tony waved a dismissive hand, walking towards the Iron Man landing pad. 'I'll meet you there.'

JARVIS quickly and easily got Tony into the suit as the genius walked, and by the time he reached the edge of the building Tony's faceplate was slamming shut. He took off immediately, relishing the feeling of flying once more. He wondered what Loki was doing; he'd be with Doom, right? Maybe they could fight the fucker side-by-side.

Tony grinned and blasted through the air, JARVIS already feeding him the coordinates. He needed a good fight.


End file.
